CRESTVIEW — The Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections Office must have absentee ballots no later than 7 p.m. March 15, which is Election Day.

Voters can't drop ballots off at polling places.

To hand-deliver them, drop off at:

●Election Headquarters, Buddy Brackin Building, 302 Wilson Street N., Suite 102, Crestview.

●Okaloosa County Administration Building, 1250 Eglin Parkway, Suite 103, Shalimar.

If mailing them in, they must be received by March 15 to be counted. The OCSEO recommends mailing at least five days before Election Day, as US Postal Service first class mail can take between three to five days for delivery.

The elections office notes that when absentee ballots were first mailed out to voters, some voters may have received instruction sheets which included its old office address – Water and Sewer Building, 1804 Lewis Turner Blvd.

The elections office moved in September 2015 from the Water and Sewer Building into the New Okaloosa County Administration Building in Shalimar, and has updated the instruction sheet included with absentee ballots to reflect the new office location at 1250 Eglin Parkway, Suite 103 in Shalimar.

Officials apologize for this mistake and any inconvenience it may have caused voters.

The last day to request a mailed absentee ballot is Wednesday, March 9.

To request a ballot call 689-5600 or 651-7272. If you are under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, call for more options.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: ELECTION: Last call for Okaloosa County absentee ballots

LAUREL HILL — City leaders are weighing the pros and cons of dissolving the city.

City Council Chairman Larry Hendren has distributed to other council members a draft document that will form the basis for a residents’ information handout once city leaders research and add material.

“This is just to get us started,” Hendren said during the council’s March 3 meeting. City leaders will add their research results to the document for review at the regular April 7 meeting.

Much of the data will have to come from consultation with Okaloosa County officials, Hendren said. Should the city dissolve, the county would assume jurisdiction over Laurel Hill.

Some matters Hendren and the council intend to present to voters for consideration include:

●Ad valorem taxes: the city currently collects $52,900 annually

●Gulf Power and CHELCO franchise fees and city taxes, currently about $46,000

●Water system management

●Laurel Hill Volunteer Fire Department status

●Street paving

●Mowing public land

●Gene Clary Park status

●Street lighting: unincorporated county street lights are funded by property owners through Municipal Services Benefit Units or by private contract

●Trash pickup: county garbage collection franchises do not extend into Laurel Hill at present

●Zoning: county could change its comprehensive plan to bring Laurel Hill properties in line with comparable county zones

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill council researching dissolution impact (VIDEO)

Bernie Sanders wants to give Americans free college education. This sounds good to any parent who has three or four college-age children.

Such an idea would have to have huge boundaries. Schools such as Harvard, Baylor, Notre Dame or even Universities like Southern California, Indiana University or the University of Miami are not going to teach, house and feed students for free.

We do have major issues when it come to higher education in America. The one major issue is that it has a neck-breaking price tag.

We can solve America's higher education dilemma.

Make the first year of community college or technical school free. Do I sound like Bernie Sanders now? Please note that I said community college. In most cases federal grants that cover costs for poorer American kids will cover the cost of the first year of a community college. Poorer kids who qualify for federal grants will receive enough money to cover the costs of the second year, and therefore, even a nice chunk of money for the third and fourth year of their college endeavor.

Many kids who have more access to money often skip community college because they want to get away from home as quickly as possible for the college dormitory. It's a decision that families have to make.

Next, reduce the college education bachelor's degree from 120 hours to 105 hours of study. This would be essentially eliminating one semester. A student attending two years of community college would therefore need 45 hours of study beyond the community or two-year college. The financial savings could be in the multi-thousands.

I realize this sounds barbaric to many. How dare I to suggest less education? "We need more education to compete with China and Japan," someone is saying. We need good education to compete with Japan and China. We do not need additional time and massive more debt. Everybody in college has taken three or four classes that were not crucial studies. Plus, people can always enlist into a master's degree program or go back and take more classes.

Next, give college students the lowest interest rates possible. People who borrow money should pay it back but young adults shouldn't have to pay high rates of interest on obtaining a college education. I like the idea of eliminating 10 percent of a student's debt when the money is paid back in 10 years. This would be a great incentive to work a little harder to pay back the government's money instead of dragging it out forever.

Finally, four years of college is a waste of time and money for many. There are so many trades and vocations that can be learned in one or two years of trade or vocational school. Why blow $80,000 for a liberal arts college degree to become a truck driver or a factory worker at Toyota? Why not spend a year or two learning the trade that you really want to do to make a living.

We can get ahead in America, if we will just use our heads.

Glenn Mollette is an American syndicated columnist and author. He is the author of 11 books and read in all 50 states. This column does not necessarily reflect the view of any organization, institution, or this paper or media source. Find out more at www.keepourfreedom.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: MOLLETTE: How to solve America's higher education dilemma

LAUREL HILL — The City Council has chosen one of two options to establish a purchasing-procedures ordinance.

The proposed ordinance is partially based on state guidelines, with dollar amounts adjusted to reflect the city’s typical spending.

Councilman Travis Dewrell recommended tightening verbiage in a provision allowing the mayor to make emergency purchases or enter into contracts up to $19,999.

Dewrell assured Mayor Robby Adams his concerns were not directed at the sitting mayor, and were not meant to block a mayor from making emergency decisions when it was impossible to receive city council approval.

“I'm protecting the city from a rogue mayor, not from Robby Adams,” Dewrell said. “If it's an emergency the mayor doesn't need to have his hands tied. I'm in total agreement with that.”

The revised ordinance will be considered at the council’s April 7 meeting.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill council to discuss purchasing ordinance

LAUREL HILL — The City Council has chosen one of two options to establish a purchasing-procedures ordinance.

The proposed ordinance is partially based on state guidelines, with dollar amounts adjusted to reflect the city’s typical spending.

Councilman Travis Dewrell recommended tightening verbiage in a provision allowing the mayor to make emergency purchases or enter into contracts up to $19,999.

Dewrell assured Mayor Robby Adams his concerns were not directed at the sitting mayor, and were not meant to block a mayor from making emergency decisions when it was impossible to receive city council approval.

“I'm protecting the city from a rogue mayor, not from Robby Adams,” Dewrell said. “If it's an emergency the mayor doesn't need to have his hands tied. I'm in total agreement with that.”

The revised ordinance will be considered at the council’s April 7 meeting.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill council tweaks proposed purchasing ordinance

LAUREL HILL — The City Council rested a proposal to spend $9,550 to refurbish a 1992 generator after hearing a report by Councilman Travis Dewrell.

The city received an $11,700 insurance settlement following the well pump generator’s damage in a lightning strike. In February, council members considered refurbishing the trailered unit for $21,250.

Mayor Robby Adams said the refurbished 60-kilowatt generator could be used as a back-up for City Hall’s aging generator, or used if the remaining well generator is damaged.

ALTERNATIVES

Thursday, Dewrell presented research and argued against spending taxpayer money to refurbish a 24-year-old generator. He suggested several alternatives, including:

●Buy a 60-kilowatt natural-gas powered generator for about $25,000, noting Okaloosa Gas is preparing plans to run a gas line to Laurel Hill, possibly by spring of 2017

●Enter an interlocal agreement with Paxton or Auburn Water, both of which have lines close to Laurel Hill or overlapping the community’s water service

●Save the $11,700 and apply it to a future need. “We can spend that money the best way we can see fit,” Dewrell said. “We’re not bound to buy a new generator.”

INTERLOCAL BENEFITS

Establishing an interlocal water use agreement with a neighboring water department would be mutually beneficial, particularly if the pact is with Paxton, Dewrell said.

“If both (of Laurel Hill’s) wells went down, we could open the valves from Paxton,” Dewrell said. “It could work the opposite way, too. It makes sense if we could work together like a co-op, if you will, helping each other.

“Hopefully we would never, ever have to use it. But if we did, it would be a good investment to put in some pipes and valves so our residents would never have to be without water.”

Dewrell said an agreement with Paxton would be more beneficial to both communities, because Auburn Water’s system is more extensive, and would be unlikely to need assistance from Laurel Hill in an emergency.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill councilman offers alternatives to fixing old generator

CRESTVIEW — It takes money to keep Okaloosa County’s largest city, also its county seat, moving and meeting its growth needs.

More important, it takes people. Of the city’s $29.6 million budget for fiscal year 2015-16, 40 percent goes to salaries.

For the city’s 237 employees, $7.8 million will be paid this fiscal year in regular salaries. Another $100,200 will be paid to the city’s elected civil servants. With benefits, overtime and holiday pay included, Crestview’s payroll is about $12 million.

See a chart comparing Crestview salaries with those of other municipalities>>

Of that, less than $50,000 goes to the mayor and five city councilmen, still making them the highest-paid of their peers in the county’s municipalities.

And with good reason, the civic leaders say.

While their jobs may be officially “part-time” on the city’s books, actual hours put into the position often surpass a typical 40-hour work week.

FULL-TIME, PART-TIME

“With the changes in the growth of Crestview and the many challenges we face every month, I spend a minimum of 40 hours a week on the job,” Mayor David Cadle said. “It stays pretty busy.”

Though Crestview has a weak-mayor, strong-council form of government, the mayor’s duties differ from Cadle’s counterparts in other county municipalities.

“The reason the mayor takes on a higher position here is he is directly responsible for public safety,” Cadle said. “None of the other mayors have that type of responsibility.”

“To me it’s not a part-time job,” JB Whitten, one of the city’s two newest councilmen, said. “I spend a lot of time working city council issues. You don’t need to make it that large a job. I do it because it is my responsibility to the citizens of the city.”

City Council vice president Joe Blocker said though he had been asked many times over the years to seek a council seat, he couldn’t consider it while he had a full-time job.

“People tried to get me to run for 30 years,” Blocker said. “I said it’s not a part-time job, so when I retired, I up and lost every bit of the sense I had and I jumped in it.

“It is not part-time. To serve the people the way they expect to be served is not a part-time job, but I enjoy it.”

TIME COMMITMENT

Blocker said many expenses are not covered by a council member’s $5,040 annual salary, and that he and his fellow councilmen absorb them without reimbursement.

County-level and regional League of Cities meetings and training seminars regularly take council members to destinations often hours from Crestview, Blocker said.

City department heads are in a similar situation, Blocker said.

“They attend lots of meetings and association meetings, and they don’t get paid for it,” he said.

Whitten said neither he nor any of his colleagues on the dais sought their duties without understanding the time commitment they require.

“It is demanding, but no one would run for office unless you want to do it,” he said.

“You go in with your eyes wide open and you have to put a lot of time and effort into it, but you choose to do that.”

—

BENEFITS BY THE NUMBERS

City of Crestview workers receive these benefits in addition to their base salaries:

•12 paid holidays

•12 sick days

•40 hours vacation for up to two years’ service

•80 hours vacation for two to six years’ service

•160 hours vacation for more than six years’ service

By union contract, Crestview firefighters receive more annual vacation days than other city workers

Source: City of Crestview

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SPECIAL REPORT: Crestview elected leaders' salaries surpass neighboring cities

BAKER — When Farm Service Agency administrator Val Dolcini returns to Washington, D.C., he’ll take with him area farmers’ ideas, concerns and praises.

En route to a New Orleans conference, Dolcini visited farmers in Mariana before stopping March 1 at James and Nick Marshall’s farm near Baker, where farmers and farm officials from Okaloosa, Walton, Santa Rosa and Escambia counties and Covington County, Alabama, gathered to meet him.

Dolcini was the first Farm Services Agency chief to visit Northwest Florida in at least 30 years, local FSA program technician Robby Adams said.

See "RELATED CONTENT" at left for data on Okaloosa County's various farms

“What the Farm Services Agency does is reconnect our farmers with the people who serve them,” Dolcini said. “I’ve been to 37 states. It’s just important to get out from behind my desk in Washington, D.C., and meet local farmers and see how our programs are being used and what we can do to help them.”

Responding to Dolcini’s queries about local soil conditions, James Marshall took the administrator out to a nearby field where he described area farming techniques and land management practices.

Over a barbecue lunch, Dolcini invited farmers to share their concerns.

James Marshall said he was impressed by Dolcini’s knowledge of farming during the brief tour of his property.

“He knows his answers,” Marshall said. “He surprised me. He knows his stuff.”

Dolcini, in turn, said he was impressed with the Marshalls’ farm.

“It’s wonderful to see a multi-generational family farm,” he said, adding as the world population grows, “it will be up to American farmers, growers and ranchers like these to help feed the rest of the world.”

!——-HUB NOTE: PLEASE IGNORE BELOW

Farm3

Farm Services Agency head Val Dolcini, center, holds a working lunch with area farmers Donnie Richardson, left, of Walton County, and Okaloosa County FSA county committee chairman Gary Booker.

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

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at brianh@crestviewbulletin.com, follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian or call 850-682-6524.                                          

BRIAN HUGHES / News Bulletin

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency’s Crestview office serves farmers in Okaloosa and Walton Counties and administers Congressional farm bills as they apply to local farms.

LOCAL FARMS BY THE NUMBERS

Okaloosa County farmers reported these statistics to the Farm Service Agency in 2015:

•Total farms: 1,519

•Total producers: 2,266

•Corn: 285 acres farmed

•Cotton: 2,123 acres farmed

•Peanuts: 1,772 acres farmed

•Pasture: 4,067 acres

•Timber: 609 acres managed

•Conservation Reserve Program: 4,931 acres

•Pecans: 223 acres managed

•Soybeans: 1,145 acres farmed

•Strawberries: 10 acres farmed

•Cattle: 6,100 head

Source: Crestview Farm Service Agency office

CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM

The Conservation Reserve Program pays farmers yearly rental payment in exchange for them removing environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and planting species that will improve environmental quality. 

Source: USDA Farm Service Agency

FARM SERVICE AGENCY

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Farm Service Agency head visits Baker, meets area farmers

LAUREL HILL — Former City Councilman Johnny James and his wife, Earnestine, are a giant step closer to having their property annexed into the city.

At Thursday evening's meeting, the council passed on 3-1 votes two ordinances that, if approved on second readings at the April 7 meeting, will bring the property into the city.

Councilman Scott Moneypenny, who has consistently opposed the James' annexation, voted nay both times.

It's been almost a year since James had to step down from his council seat when it was discovered his property on Robbins Road isn't in the city but is adjacent to it.

It was thought the property was among those annexed in the 1960s by James' father-in-law, former Laurel Hill Mayor Vizell Robbins. For unknown reasons, the property was omitted when Robbins had his other adjoining properties annexed.

The ordinances passed Thursday evening would respectively accept the James's request for annexation and would amend the city's comprehensive plan and future land use map to reflect the addition of the property into the city.

"I've been living in Laurel Hill all my life," Earnestine James said. "We would appreciate everyone's support. We have been praying we can be annexed."

In related action, the council unanimously voted to approve an ordinance requiring any future annexation requests to be entirely funded by the requesters.

"It will be all on the individual's back to take care of everything and hand it to the city and say, 'I want to be annexed,'" council Chairman Larry Hendren said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: James property closer to annexation in Laurel Hill

The monthly meeting of the Florida Panhandle Patriots Tea Party will feature talk show radio host Ken Walsh of WFTW's "Wake Up Call."

He will discuss "The Media Takeover," concerning who is controlling the media and how they are taking control, as well as what "We the People" need to be looking for and how to keep the truth going in Talk Radio and other media industries.

The meeting is 6:30 p.m. March 3 at the Elks Lodge, 1335 Miracle Strip Parkway, Fort Walton Beach.

Snacks and beverages are available for purchase.  For more information call 582-2629.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Panhandle Patriots meeting set in Fort Walton Beach tonight