EDITOR'S NOTE: Laurel Hill's city leaders answered our questionnaire about what they believe are the area's top priorities in 2014. We appreciate all of their responses.

What do you anticipate, or think should change, in 2014?

"We are hoping to replace some of the thin-walled (water) piping that we currently have. We also will have some new revenue from the (county) gas tax, which was recently passed."

Robby Adams, Laurel Hill Mayor 

"We have had some problems in the past about … getting the word out when (special council) meetings happen. I am working on a (city) resolution to solve that. The expectation is that, when you come here on the first of the month at 6 p.m., there will be no (special) meetings prior to that."

Larry Hendren, Laurel Hill City Council

"We are trying to get the roads taken care of and trying to get more businesses to the area. I would like to bring a band or a credit union to Laurel Hill. I am also looking forward to adding a new council member to working with us."

Johnny James, Laurel Hill City Council

"We need more jobs here for younger people, and we need programs to help these young people get jobs, because there really isn't anything here."

Willie Mae Toles, Laurel Hill City Council

"We are hoping to get some grant money and get some roads paved."

Betty Williamson, Laurel Hill City Council

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 city leaders anticipate 2014 goals

EDITOR'S NOTE: Here is what Crestview's leaders say are the city's top priorities in 2014.

What do you anticipate, or think should change, in 2014?

"I am looking forward to the several educational facilities and industries (that) express interest in coming to Crestview and Northwest Florida."  — David Cadle, Crestview Mayor

" The major concern I have for our city is that we do not have a city manager to oversee and manage the city. Our form of government is highly unique, and there is a reason for that … Other cities have recognized that without professional management and accountability, your city is set up to fail the employees and the taxpayer.

"I plan to engage the taxpayers this year to explain how (hiring) a manger/administrator could help improve the efficiency of our city and yield them a better return on their tax dollars.

"The recent Gulf Power over-charging fiasco is just one example of why we need a better system in place." — Robyn Helt, Crestview City Council President

"While I loathe the growth of government, in this instance we are in desperate need of a city administrator, human resources and (a) purchasing agent. Each of these positions would pay for themselves by saving wasted duplication in work being performed repeatedly by non-communicating departments, wasted expenditures and lawsuits from incorrect hiring and firing."  — Thomas Gordon, Crestview City Council

"My desire and goal for the city of Crestview is to be one of the motivational leaders to help in developing, and bring to fruition: enormous growth in retail business, which would produce strong economic developments (and) many additional jobs; a greater tax base with many capital improvement projects, which would move Crestview forward in our economic growth; and to utilize, and fully develop through in-depth planning, our available and abundant resources we have here in the Hub City."  — Joe Blocker, Crestview City Council

"I see no major concerns at the present time, but we must continue to improve our city streets, continue to manage and grow our city and maintain adequate services for our citizens, while utilizing our tax funds wisely to effectively improve our community."                                                                              — Shannon Hayes, Crestview City Council

"I want to work with the council to get better control on our assets and spending. I would like to see a better way to track spending and perform better asset management. Everyone always talks about Crestview having the highest taxes. New businesses and contractors seem to avoid coming to Crestview because of this.

"We need to look at every option available to produce a more effective city government from our revenues, without raising taxes."  — Mickey Rytman, Crestview City Council

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview leaders set sights for 2014

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