CRESTVIEW — The City Council has unanimously approved Public Works’ request to repair a leaking 18-inch storm-water runoff pipe that caused a sinkhole to form on Denise Drive.

Public Works Director Wayne Steele said a resident alerted him July 17 that the sinkhole had appeared between his house and a neighbor's home in the Antioch Estates subdivision.

An underground video inspection revealed three holes have appeared in the pipe, most likely aggravated by the excessive recent rainfall, Steele said.

The pipe — which runs from a drain on Denise Drive at the base of a hill opposite the homes — empties into a retention pond below a sharp slope behind the residences.

"The small sinkhole over the weekend turned into a large sinkhole," Steele said.

Because the pipe is buried 15 feet below the ground, it is impossible to dig it up for replacement, particularly given the close proximity of the two houses.

The solution, Steele said, is to install a Fiberglas liner the pipe’s length from the street to the retention pond.

"They close it up and fill it with steam and it cures in place," Steele said. "It's like a brand new PVC pipe."

Following city purchasing procedure, Steele solicited bids from three companies and received two responses. The least expensive, at $79.99 per foot, represents a total of $12,400 for the project, he said.

"It is expensive, but in this case we don't have a choice," Steele said. "We run the risk of jeopardizing the foundations of these homes if this keeps getting bigger."

The third company could not submit a bid because it could not move its equipment to Crestview fast enough, Steele said.

Because it is an emergency, the council could immediately authorize Steele to accept the lowest bid, city attorney Jerry Miller said.

Miller also recommended the council consider increasing Steele's approval authority beyond the current $7,500 limit for emergency repair work.

Steele said the bidder could "mobilize and start this week."

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Sinkhole could threaten south Crestview homes

LAUREL HILL —   The City Council has unanimously voted in favor of reinstating its pay.

"For me, I would like my pay to come back in," Councilman Johnny James said. 

James —   who was elected to the council in March — said he had no say in January when council members voted to donate their compensation toward paying off the city’s debt. 

Laurel Hill’s mayor monthly earns $200; each council member earns $100.

Initially, Councilman Larry Hendren and council members Clifton Hall and Betty Williamson had declined pay; Willie Mae Toles and then-council member Robby Adams voted against the proposal.

Hendren has since changed his stance.

“Some of the council members may need the money more than others, and that (convinced) me to reconsider my vote,” he said on Monday.

"If any of us wanted to donate the money, it should be on a one-on-one basis," he said. He suggested that those wanting to donate their pay should instruct City Clerk Anita Miller to do so.

Each month, the city pays $2,249.88 toward the estimated $104,000 debt, Miller said.

Editor Thomas Boni contributed to this report.

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 votes to reinstate city leaders’ pay

CRESTVIEW — The Community Redevelopment Agency has accepted some nominees for an advisory committee that will recommend improvements to downtown and Twin Hills Park.

Comprising residents and business owners, and representatives from the Main Street Crestview Association and the Historic Preservation Board, the committee will consider suggestions for Twin Hills Park skate and dog parks.

The committee also will consider a pedestrian and bicycle corridor between the historic downtown district and Twin Hills Park.

The CRA board on Monday unanimously agreed to form the seven-person committee.

Approved nominees are Linda Parker, Doug Capps, David Wheeler and Bill Kilpatrick. The Main Street Crestview Association appointed Cal Zethmayr as its representative.

Parker and Kilpatrick are former city council members. Kilpatrick had also served as the Main Street Crestview Association’s director.

The Historic Preservation Board has not yet appointed a representative.

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: Advisory committee suggests updates for downtown Crestview

CRESTVIEW — City leaders have weighed the benefits of attending the annual Florida League of Cities conference and the costs to taxpayers, and unanimously have voted to send a maximum of three representatives.

Mindful of Crestview’s tight finances, city council members have decided the meeting's networking and education opportunities would pay off.

"If people think education is expensive, lack of education costs a whole lot more," Councilman Tom Gordon said.

"If you run into an idea that saves the city $5,000 or $10,000, you pay for the trip," Councilman Shannon Hayes said. "You can't put a price on knowledge."

The Aug. 15-17 conference in Orlando could have cost taxpayers nearly $1,400 per representative, including mileage reimbursement.

However, Hayes and Councilman Joe Blocker said they would decline reimbursement, saving taxpayers more than $800.

A third representative, if any, has not yet been selected. Gordon and Councilman Mickey Rytman have scheduling conflicts. Council President Robyn Helt was absent from the July 8 meeting at which the matter was discussed.

Council members have thought of carpooling, but Hayes said two or more elected officials sharing a long car ride could raise questions about possible Sunshine Law violations.

"There might be some things come up that you want to discuss," he said. "You can talk about your family and food and the weather for a few hours, but after a while it's going to get boring."

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: 2 Crestview leaders decline mileage reimbursement for meeting

CRESTVIEW — Despite last year’s $1.2 million deficit in governmental services, the Hub City faces a more promising financial outlook, according to a report on its annual audit.

The City Council has unanimously approved accepting Carr, Riggs and Ingram’s auditing report.

"We are issuing a clean opinion, and that differs from what we did last year," Alan Jowers, a partner in the firm, said on Monday. A "clean opinion" means there were no serious problems found in the city's revamped accounting systems and procedures.

The city had partially covered a deficit by transferring $500,000 from the utilities fund, which resulted in a $675,000 net loss.

"What that's telling you is that for your fiscal year 2012 … you spent more than you brought in," Jowers said. "I think that's important to look at."

During the year, the city addressed several issues raised in the 2011-12 audit, including accounting and billing problems that once plagued the Utilities Billing Department, Jowers said.

Auditors analyzed two segments of city government: governmental services — such as police and city administration — and "business activities" including water services and other items that generate fee-based revenue.

"The good news is there was no systemic issue like there's been in previous years," Jowers said.

One recommendation the firm made would eliminate the potential to misuse a test check generated during a run of city-issued checks.

Though a test check — which assures the printing system functions correctly — is locked in a safe so it can be accounted for, it should be defaced to ensure it could not be fraudulently completed and cashed, the report recommended.

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: Auditors issue 'clean opinion' for Crestview; utilities lose $675K

CRESTVIEW — After traveling down what city attorney Jerry Miller has called a "slippery slope" of granting free use of city facilities to non-profit organizations, the City Council finally said "no."

Encouraged by the regular waiver of facilities fees for other non-profits, the Okaloosa County Farm Bureau requested fees be waived for its annual membership meeting and dinner at the Crestview Community Center.

Part of the statewide Florida Farm Bureau, the organization's mission is "to increase the net income of farmers and ranchers, and to improve the quality of rural life," according to its website.

The organization has previously paid as much as $670 to rent the community center for its annual dinner.

In recent months the council has waived fees for organizations including churches, Relay for Life and the NAACP for use of city facilities such as the Old Spanish Trail Park amphitheatre, Warriors Hall and the community center.

Under questioning by Councilman Shannon Hayes, Okaloosa Farm Bureau President Keith Free said the meeting and dinner were not open to the public.

While he said 95 percent of the attendees would be from Okaloosa County, Free could not say how many of the expected 300 attendees were Crestview residents.

"I'm trying to figure out what benefit (of granting free use of the facility) is to the 99 percent of Crestview who won't be attending the dinner," Hayes said.

When Councilman Joe Blocker asked Miller for advice, the attorney said granting fee waivers is done at the discretion of the council, which has set a precedent by granting previous waivers.

"You got yourselves in a quagmire and you can't escape," Miller said. "Until you draw a line in the sand you're going to keep having this problem and I can't fix it for you."

Councilman Tom Gordon, who has previously resisted providing free use of taxpayer-supported city facilities during a period of tight budgets, reiterated his stance.

"There are a lot of good organizations that are 501(c), but I have a hard time supporting something like this," Gordon said.

The council chose to take no action, allowing the Farm Bureau's request to die.

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 City Council: 'No' to nonprofit's free community center use

CRESTVIEW — The community's fireworks show, rained out on the Fourth of July, will burst over Twin Hills Park on Labor Day, city council members unanimously agreed.

Concerned that daylong holiday rains would wet the fireworks after they were set out, Ashley Pyrotechnics of Tallahassee canceled the planned $11,000 display, Public Works Director Wayne Steele said on Monday.

The fireworks take about four hours to set up, Steele said. Sudden downpours could ruin those already set out.

"I hated to agree with them," Steele said. "I learned a lesson over the years: the weather's a funny thing. It's better to stay on course and wait it out. Sometimes the Lord will bless us."

Steele's suggestion of moving the display to Labor Day, Sept. 2, was well received by the City Council, which unanimously approved the recommendation. (Editor's Note: Keep reading as updates on the display's time become available.)

Steele said all the activities planned for Independence Day, including bounce houses and inflatable slides, would be available at the Labor Day festivities.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Fourth of July fireworks display rescheduled for September

CRESTVIEW — Emphasizing several times that it can be lowered during budget discussions, the City Council has voted to set a tentative millage rate of 5.8466.

The .25 percent increase will give the council leeway to produce a 2013-14 fiscal year budget that maintains services demanded by residents without becoming encumbered by a too-low tentative millage.

During the 3-1 vote Monday evening, Councilman Thomas Gordon voted "nay." Council President Robyn Helt was absent. Vice president Mickey Rytman conducted the meeting.

The increase from the current 5.5966 millage rate would provide an estimated $5,380,692 in revenue, a $218,574 increase over the current fiscal year, according to figures provided by Finance Director Patti Beebe.

By law, once a tentative millage rate is established, it can be reduced. However, it can only be increased after an expensive process of paying the county property appraiser to send out revised Truth in Millage, or TRIM, notices, as state statute requires.

The tentative millage rate discussion followed a report by the city's accountants, Carr, Riggs and Ingram, which stated Crestview's governmental operations had a $1.5 million deficit in the 2012 fiscal year.

The council promised a thorough revue of each department's proposed budget during the budgeting process in hopes of decreasing the tentative millage rate.

"We want to reiterate this is a tentative rate," Rytman said. "It can always go down, but it costs us to go up. We do not want to raise taxes. A lot of the council members want to dig deep in the budget and lower the amount of money we spend."

Gordon explained the situation.

"When you get less money to run your household, you either get a nighttime job or you cut the cable (TV) off," he said. "We need to cut the cable off."

The council unanimously set a public budget hearing for 5 p.m. Sept. 10 with the final meeting at 5 p.m. Sept. 24. By law, the budget must be passed before Oct. 1. Budget workshops will be scheduled at the council's July 22 meeting.

Want to go?

The Crestview City Council will set dates and times for budget workshops at its July 22 meeting at City Hall. The meeting starts at 6 p.m.

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 City Council OKs tentative tax rise

CRESTVIEW — Okaloosa County commissioners have selected City Councilman Thomas Gordon to represent the north county in oil spill recovery efforts.

Gordon is one of 11 members of the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies advisory committee. The RESTORE committee determines how to allocate funding following 2010’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Gordon, one of two Okaloosa League of Cities members selected, represents the county’s north end. Destin Mayor Sam Seevers represents the county’s south end.

The RESTORE Act of 2012 allows Florida shoreline counties — from Escambia to Wakulla — 75 percent of the state’s share from fines levied against BP for its role in the oil spill.      

"The RESTORE Act established a Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund in the U.S. Treasury in which 80 percent of the Clean Water Act penalties from the Deep Horizon Oil Spill will be distributed to impacted areas for recovery," the Okaloosa County website states.

Florida is among five states to receive a portion of 80 percent from the total fines levied.

In an example provided on the Okaloosa County website, if Florida were awarded $10 billion, Okaloosa would receive 15.57 percent of the funds, or $65,394,000. 

The RESTORE Act requires each county to form an advisory committee that represents areas including government, education, tourism, the environment and economic development, according to the U.S. Treasury.

"The intent of the RESTORE Act funds is to put the Gulf Coast back where it was before the oil spill," Gordon said.

As a professional in the heating ventilation and air conditioning industry, he knows firsthand the disaster’s impact.

"I saw several HVAC companies close and some drastically downsized," Gordon said. "In my company, it was the worst few years in our 30 (plus) year history, as it was also compounded by the real estate bubble."

Many area HVAC services depended on condominiums in Destin and other shoreline areas that tourists occupy seasonally. Following the spill, when condos didn't fill up, HVAC services went elsewhere, Gordon said. 

Addressing the widespread need of recovery funding is important, he said.

"The proper and responsible application of the settlement monies is absolutely critical and I look forward to getting started," Gordon 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 councilman represents North Okaloosa for oil spill recovery