CRESTVIEW — The City Council hasn't renewed the traffic impact fee waiver, which could expire as the year ends.

The fee, charged to developers, was eliminated in January 2013 after Gov. Rick Scott's executive order asked that communities cut it to spur economic growth.

Here are city officials and representatives' views on the issue:

•Council members Robyn Helt, Joe Blocker and Mickey Rytman support extending the waiver.

“I don't think it's coincidental we have seen this spike (in development) over the last couple years,” Helt said. Developers “tell me the traffic impact fee waiver is one of the major considerations in deciding to build their projects.”

•City Planner Eric Davis said the city has lost approximately $394,000 in fee revenue, but traffic impact fees weren't a major factor.

“The developers who come and deal with me, they have never told me that an impact fee has kept them from Crestview,” he said. Rather, "it was the overwhelming proportionate fair share fee."

Proportionate fair share, or “prop share,” was a "pay-as-you-grow" fee that helped fund public services associated with commercial growth. It died in September 2012 after the council amended the city’s comprehensive plan.

“The prop share was the fee that for five years killed any development on (Highway) 85 between 90 and the (Shoal) River,” Davis said.

•City attorney Jerry Miller has advised the council to end the waiver. Periodically extending it could expose the city to litigation if some businesses were exempt from the fee while others paid it, he said.

A decision to extend the waiver should be based on an independent expert's objective study, Miller said.

Atkins Engineering, which becomes the city’s traffic consultant in a month, could conduct such a study, city planner Eric Davis said.

•Councilman Tom Gordon said he would support renewing the fee waiver if a traffic engineering firm's independent study supports it.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview's traffic impact fee waiver may die by year's end

CRESTVIEW — The annual Main Street Christmas Parade will be safer this year thanks to the Community Redevelopment Agency Board’s unanimous approval Monday night of the purchase of an additional 870 feet of crowd control barricades.

The Main Street Crestview Association requested the extra barricades to complete the route from Courthouse Terrace to the parade route end at Cedar Avenue and Wilson Street.

The 100 new barricades will cost $9,375 and will supplement the 560 barriers already owned by the agency.

The original barricades, purchased in 2008, were meant to cover the Main Street parade route from the railroad tracks to the Wilson Street end.

“Since most of the parades start at Martin Luther King (Avenue), the barricades only stretch to about Courthouse Terrace,” Public Works Director Wayne Steele said.

“As our parades continue to grow, it's getting more and more dangerous at the end of the route,” Mayor David Cadle said.

Steele reminded the board that at last year’s Christmas parade, a boy was injured when he ran in front of a parade float on Cedar Avenue, which had no barricades.

The new barricades will be purchased from Inline Barricades of Diamondhead, Miss., the supplier of the city’s existing barriers. The $89 sections cost $3 more than in 2008, Steele said. The new units are expected to arrive in time for the Dec. 6 Christmas parade.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 100 additional barriers will protect entire downtown parade route

FORT WALTON BEACH — The Okaloosa County Tax Collector’s Office saved county motorists over $258,000 when they removed the motor vehicle registration’s two-year renewal option earlier this year.

On April 4, 2014, Governor Rick Scott signed a bill that would lower the cost of most vehicle registrations by up to $25 per year. While this was great news, it would not go into effect until Sept. 1.

This prompted Okaloosa County Tax Collector Ben Anderson to be the first Tax Collector to remove the biennial option from vehicle renewals through August in an effort to prevent motorists from electing the 2nd year option at the higher rate. During those months, over 11,500 registrations were saved the extra expense for the second year registration.

Anderson says, “In Okaloosa County last year, 23,400 vehicles had biennial registrations. With the new, lower rate, there is a tangible savings, so we have reinstated the two-year renewal option. Now I am encouraging all motorists to take advantage of the biennial option. If owners choose to register their vehicle(s) for two years they will certainly save time and money.”

Anderson says, “It is our responsibility to be good stewards with resources and information. This is just another example of your Tax Collector’s Office working hard to save you money.”

Vehicle registrations can be processed online at www.OkaloosaTax.com or at any Okaloosa Tax Collector's Office branch.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Car registration renewal option saves Okaloosa drivers more than $258,000

CRESTVIEW — By a 3-1 vote, with Councilman Joe Blocker voting “nay,” the City Council approved having an outside vendor offer identity theft protection services to city employees.

During the Tuesday evening council meeting, Legal Shield representative Bob Hollingshead said it can take identity theft victims as much as 200 hours over six months to recover their identity and clear their credit ratings.

Hollingshead offered employees a discounted rate of $5.98 per pay period for the service, which workers would contract for directly with Hollingshead.

The service would not cost city taxpayers anything, Hollingshead said.

He said offering the service “reduces absenteeism and increases productivity” because workers who have had their identity stolen would not need to take time off to address the resultant legal and financial difficulties.

“It decreases employee stress because they now have access to an attorney,” Hollingshead said.

The contract would not allow employees to institute legal proceedings against the city.

When Councilman Tom Gordon’s motion to allow Legal Shield to give 15-minute presentations to city employees failed to garner a second, Council President Shannon Hayes passed the gavel to vice president Mickey Rytman and made the second.

The motion passed, with Blocker voting against it because he wanted department heads to first assess their employees’ feelings toward the service before giving approval to make the offer.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: City employees offered Legal Shield

LAUREL HILL — No banks or other financial institutions currently exist within this North Okaloosa community's city limits.  

But the Okaloosa County Teachers Federal Credit Union wants to change that.

The credit union — which has four locations in the county — wants to open a Laurel Hill branch, according to Jerry Maughon, its president and CEO.

Actually, it's wanted to open one for quite some time.

The business purchased property on 4th Street — near State Road 85 — almost five years ago, but the city’s comprehensive plan has prevented it from using the land.

A previous city council denied the credit union's request to change the residential land use to mixed use after hearing adjacent property owners' concerns, Maughon said. Neighbors worried that the financial institution's presence could result in increased traffic.

“By no means do we want to upset anyone in the community,” Maughon said. “We want to serve the community.”

Now, the credit union requests that the council change the land use category to conditional use.

“In plain language, (the property) could only be used as a credit union type (of) property; it could never be changed over to a bar or anything else,” Council President Larry Hendren said.

The city has no procedures ordinance to approve such a request, he said. With the city attorney’s approval, the ordinance is expected to be presented for council approval at the next council meeting.

Should the ordinance be approved, the city will advertise for public hearings in addition to notifying nearby property owners.

The next city council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 6 at 6p.m. in the city hall building.

DID YOU KNOW?

Okaloosa County Teachers Federal Credit Union — which has Crestview, Baker, Fort Walton Beach and Niceville offices — is not restricted to county educators and administrators' use.

It's open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Okaloosa County, according to President and CEO Jerry Maughon, who wants to add a Laurel Hill location.

"We have a lot of members up here (who) have requested our presence" in Laurel Hill, Maughon said during the City Council's Oct. 9 meeting.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Credit union eyes Laurel Hill location

CRESTVIEW — As the Nov. 4 general election approaches, Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections Paul Lux would like to inform voters of three convenient ways to vote: early, by mail, or at the polls on election day.

•Early voting starts Oct. 20 and ends Nov. 1. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. all days. Locations include Robert L. F. Sikes Library, 1445 Commerce Drive, Crestview; Supervisor of Elections Headquarters, 302 North Wilson St., Suite 102, Crestview; C.H. “Bull” Rigdon Fairgrounds, 1958 Lewis Turner Blvd, Fort Walton Beach; Destin Community Center, 101 Stahlman Ave., Destin; Niceville City Hall, 208 N. Partin Drive, Niceville.

•To vote by mail, voters can request absentee ballots early by telephone, email, mail, in person or by visiting the Supervisor of Elections office website, www.goVote-Okaloosa.com. Absentee ballots must be returned to the Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted. Third-party pick-up by a designated immediate family member is allowed four days before Election Day. The last day to request a ballot to be mailed to you is Oct. 29.

•Vote on Election Day, Nov. 4, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. You must vote in the precinct in which you live. Florida Statutes 101.043 requires you to show photo and signature identification when you vote in person, whether early or at the polls.

For more information, please visit www.GoVote-Okaloosa.com or call 689-5600 or 651-7272.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Early voting starts Oct. 20 in Okaloosa County