FORT WALTON BEACH — Representatives from the Okaloosa County Tax Collector’s Office conduct workshops around the county to educate citizens on its annual Tax Certificate Sale.

Winning bidders can earn between 5-18 percent interest. Investors earned an average of 7.09 percent in 2015 through the sales.

Here's the schedule:

●6 p.m. May 12, Okaloosa Administration Building, 1250 Eglin Parkway N, Shalimar.

●6 p.m. May 17, OCTC office, 701 John Sims Parkway E., Niceville.

●6 p.m. May 19, OCTC office, 302 Wilson St. N, Crestview

●6 p.m. May 24, Okaloosa Administration Building, Shalimar.

Potential investors may go to www.BidOkaloosa.com to take full advantage of the demonstrations, procedural information, links to public records and the Delinquent Tax advertising list.

Bidding began May 11 and ends June 1.

The required published advertisement of delinquent parcels appears in May 11, 18 and 25 Crestview News Bulletins. Copies will be available at all OCTC office locations and www.OkaloosaTax.com.

Delinquent taxpayers have until 5 p.m. May 31 to pay on their account or a certificate will be sold June 1. Payment must be made by cash, cashier’s check, money-order or by credit card.

For details contact the tax department at 651-7604.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa tax certificate sale workshops set

NAVARRE — The Northwest Florida Regional Transportation Planning Organization will meet May 18.

The meeting is 1:30 p.m. at Navarre Visitor Center, 8543 Navarre Parkway.

The Technical Working Group will meet at 10:30 a.m. in the same location. 

A full agenda is available online at www.wfrpc.org.

The TPO strives to plan for the future transportation needs of the region in a collaborative manner that is beneficial to all residents and visitors.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Northwest Florida Regional TPO to meet May 18

CRESTVIEW — The Democratic Women's Club of Okaloosa County will host a local luncheon, "Celebrate Democratic Women."

Speakers include local candidates and one person who will address women's issues in the workplace. Every female guest will get a gift, and other door prize.

The public may attend the event; the lunch buffet costs $10.28 per person, including drink.

 Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 19 at Ryan's Family Steakhouse Restaurant, 3000 Ferdon Blvd. S.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'Celebrate Democratic Women' May 19 in Crestview

SHALIMAR — Okaloosa County Commission Kelly Windes recently signed bond financing for the new county courthouse in Crestview. The last day for employees in the old building was April 4.

Present at the signing were Mitchell Owens, RBC Capital Markets, LLC; Mark Mustain, Nabors, Giblin & Nickerson Law Firm; Jody Bear, Crews & Associates; Mark Galvin, First Southwest Company; Okaloosa Finance Director Gary Stanford; and County Administrator John Hofstad.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa commissioner signs financing for new courthouse

CRESTVIEW — With its unanimous approval of the Monday evening consent agenda, the City Council approved repaving several Crestview city streets.

Public Works Director Wayne Steele said the project, which will provide an asphalt overlay on 3.25 miles of streets, was included in his Streets Department 2015-16 budget.

The winning $298,600 bid by James David Site Prep and Underground of Baker was under the project’s $400,000 budgeted amount. James David will partner with Tony Helms, an asphalt specialist.

Two other bids, one for $334,170 and another for $367,942, were also received. The project, which has 11 components, will require 3,555 tons of asphalt at the winning bid’s $83.99 per ton cost.

Steele did not indicate when the paving projects will commence.

—

WHAT WILL BE PAVED?

The City Council unanimously approved these 11 street paving projects totaling 3.25 miles of asphalt:

●Long Drive, from McArthur Street to First Avenue

●Jillian Drive, from Balou Drive to Christopher Drive

●South Main Street, from State Road 85 to Field and Old Main to Edney

●Alabama Street, from Eighth Avenue to Kenneth Avenue

●Georgia Street, from Eighth Avenue to Kenneth Avenue

●McLaughlin Avenue

●Oglesby Avenue

●Kenneth Avenue, from Dixie Street to Texas Parkway

●Brookmeade Drive, from East Redstone Avenue to Goodwin Avenue

●West Edney Avenue, from Chappie James Street to Gordon Street

●Egan Drive

The City Council unanimously approved these 11 street paving projects totaling 3.25 miles of asphalt:

●Long Drive, from McArthur Street to First Avenue

●Jillian Drive, from Balou Drive to Christopher Drive

●South Main Street, from State Road 85 to Field and Old Main to Edney

●Alabama Street, from Eighth Avenue to Kenneth Avenue

●Georgia Street, from Eighth Avenue to Kenneth Avenue

●McLaughlin Avenue

●Oglesby Avenue

●Kenneth Avenue, from Dixie Street to Texas Parkway

●Brookmeade Drive, from East Redstone Avenue to Goodwin Avenue

●West Edney Avenue, from Chappie James Street to Gordon Street

●Egan Drive

WHAT WILL BE PAVED?

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 11 Crestview paving projects approved

CRESTVIEW — City garbage, water and sewer customers, and new residents seeking to tap into the city’s water service, will see fee increases following unanimous approvals of three ordinances.

The City Council approved these ordinances following their second readings Monday evening. The first readings had been approved April 11.

●Ordinance 1600 will increase WastePro’s residential garbage collection fees less than a dollar to $18.16 a month for twice-weekly service. Commercial fees will increase 72 cents to $23.72. The new fees will be effective June 1, and were necessitated by the closing of WastePro’s Santa Rosa County landfill site.

●Under Ordinance 1601, residential water rates will increase June 1 by 15 cents for the minimum 2,000-gallon usage. Subsequent usage tiers each increased 5 cents. Minimum 2,000-gallon sewer rates increased 30 cents to $16.80.

“The approximate increase is 2 percent,” City Clerk Betsy Roy said. “It will be brought back before the council in October 2017 for any increase or decrease.”

●Ordinance 1602 was a request by Public Works Director Wayne Steele to increase water tap fees to bring them in line with the city’s costs.

Currently, city taxpayers fund the difference between what property owners who want water service pay to tap into Crestview’s water lines and what the city’s actual expenses are. Taxpayers’ current costs are nearly half the actual cost to tap into a water line.

The smallest tap, for a three-quarters-inch pipe, will rise from $450 to $800. A 2-inch line’s tap fee increases from $1,080 to $2,000.

INSPECTION FEES

In addition, the council approved on first reading Ordinance 1604, a proposed “modest adjustment in the building inspection fees” brought by Growth Management Director Teresa Gaillard.

To implement the fees, if approved, by June 1, the ordinance will be presented for a second reading at a special meeting called for 6 p.m. May 23.

In addition, the council unanimously approved converting its second monthly meeting into a workshop unless a special meeting is called. This will be the first special meeting called under the new meeting format.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Council OKs garbage, water and sewer fee increases

CRESTVIEW — When the City Council meets for its second May meeting, it will actually be meeting in a public workshop setting.

The council unanimously approved turning each second monthly meeting into a workshop. The change, made by resolution, is effective immediately.

City Clerk Betsy Roy said if a regular second business meeting becomes necessary, the workshop can be easily turned back into a regular meeting with 24 hours' advance notice.

"If the need arises we can call a special meeting at 5:30 and the workshop would begin at 6," she said.

Roy had previously introduced the proposal but the council took no action at that time. The need has since become greater, she said.

"It has come back because it's getting harder and harder to schedule workshops," Roy said, due to council members' sometimes conflicting schedules.

Currently the council meets in a business meeting format on the second and fourth Mondays of the month. But the need for more workshops has become evident, Roy said.

"It's the budget season and we're going to need a lot of workshops," she said. "Business can take place on the first meeting, we can have a workshop on the second meeting, and then we can discuss it again at the next meeting."

"I like the idea because it does give us a lot of time to discuss things in a workshop," Councilman J.B. Whitten said.

However, given Monday night's council meeting's 213-page support documentation, "If we go to one meeting a month we could conceivably have 500 pages to review," Whitten said.

"If we want to have a regular meeting, all we have to do is change it to a business meeting instead of a workshop and advertise it 24 hours in advance," Roy said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Second Crestview monthly meeting will become workshop

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview City Council will meet 6 p.m. May 9 at city hall, 198 Wilson St., N.

Here is the meeting's agenda.

1. Call to Order

2. Invocation / Pledge of Allegiance

Pastor Dale Walters – Joy Fellowship

3. Open Policy making and legislative session

4. Special Presentations

5. Approval of Minutes

Approval of the minutes of the April 11, 2016 Council Meeting

6. Public Hearings:

a. Ordinance 1600 – Changes to Waste Pro Franchise

b. Ordinance 1601 – Changes to Water and Sewer Rates

c. Ordinance 1602 – Changes to Water Tap Fees.

7. Public Opportunity on Council propositions

8. Consent Agenda

a. Approval of invoice from Ben Holley for legal Services

b. Acceptance of Asphalt Overlay Bid – Public services

c. Approval of Manning Document position change – Public Services

d. Approval of Ard, Shirley and Rudolph invoice in the amount of $263.66

e. Approval of Site Construction Plans for Hub City Ford Expansion

9. Resolutions

a. Resolution 16-12 – Council Rules and Regulations

b. Resolution 16-11 – Out of City Services

10. Committee Reports

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview City Council agenda: May 9

CRESTVIEW — Residents hoping for a Crestview bypass and a second Interstate 10 intersection might get their wishes, county officials said.

Though either road project, if approved at all, wouldn’t happen for many more years, state highway officials have taken notice of the city’s traffic dilemma and have asked the county for suggestions to take traffic off State Road 85.

In conjunction with an I-10 interchange at Antioch Road, the Florida Department of Transportation wants to know what the county’s plans are for the bypass system, Okaloosa County Public Works Director Jason Autrey said.

WEST BYPASS STUDY

The county plans to “look at alternative alignment on the west to complete the Crestview west bypass,” Autrey said during a recent briefing for the Crestview City Council.

The bypass comprises a loop from S.R. 85, south of Interstate 10, to U.S. Highway 90, and back to S.R. 85 north of downtown. The county agreed to fund a $750,000 match with $750,000 of state money to study the northwestern portion of the loop.

“For simplicity’s sake, we are looking at what Old Bethel Road does,” Autrey said. “Please do not take that to mean we are only looking at four-laning Old Bethel Road.”

Autrey said while following Old Bethel “will be an option,” issues such as right-of-way acquisition and residential development could move a bypass to another route.

County Engineer Scott Bitterman said the county is “confident funding is not going to fall through” for the study.

“That will complete the loop,” Autrey said. “That will help the DOT move forward with their installation of an interchange at I-10 and P.J. Adams Parkway.”

P.J. ADAMS-ANTIOCH

Meanwhile, the P.J. Adams/Antioch Road widening project is moving forward, with the first two phases — State Road 85 to Ashley Drive — fully funded, and phases 3 and 4 design work funded, Bitterman said.

The last two phases include widening the corridor to four lanes from S.R. 85 to Interstate 10.

Construction on the first two phases will begin in the summer of 2017, Bitterman said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview west bypass could enter serious study phase

LAUREL HILL — The City Council has voted 3-2 to continue gathering information on possibly dissolving the city.

“We’ll continue gathering the facts so they could present them to the citizens,” Mayor Robby Adams said. “(Okaloosa County Administrator) John Hofstad will come up and speak to us in a workshop in the near future.”

Councilmen Travis Dewrell and Scott Moneypenny cast the dissenting votes on Thursday. Dewrell has stated that he refuses to participate in “closing the city down” and wants to focus his efforts on improving Laurel Hill.

In other business, the council selected R.A. Rhodes Remodeling and Roofing of Crestview to put a new roof on city hall and the city’s maintenance shop for $28,960.

Bids ranging from $35,250 to $43,380 were received from several other Crestview contractors, Adams said.

The council also selected a Laurel Hill School student recipient for its annual scholarship. The recipient will be announced at the school’s May 31 awards day.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: A CITY NO MORE? Laurel Hill to continue dissolution discussion