CRESTVIEW — The City Council has voted down a proposed fire assessment fee, so how can councilmen bridge a more than $2 million budget shortfall?

For several years, the city has infused the general fund — day-to-day operating money for city departments — with transfers from the utility fund. However, for the 2015-16 budget year, the utility fund is too low to allow transfers.

Lately, council members have suggested these alternatives to implementing the fire assessment.

JOE BLOCKER: Get citizen input on budgeting

Blocker asked City Clerk Betsy Roy to present three options, which she did at a July 6 council workshop. Options included implementing the fire assessment fee, raising water and sewer rates or increasing the millage assessment. Monday, Blocker proposed forming four options with citizen and mayoral input.

BILL COX: Raise water and sewer rates

Several years ago, consultants recommended that Crestview raise water and sewer fees so they're comparable with surrounding communities. A 4 percent increase in water fees, 2 percent sewer rate increase, and a $1 monthly storm water assessment could generate about $335,000, Cox said.

SHANNON HAYES: Increase ad valorem tax

But even if the city does this, a 2-mill ad valorem tax increase would generate less than the fire assessment, Hayes said, with "the same people who have not been paying (taxes) still not paying.” The fire assessment fee would cover all city water customers.

MICKEY RYTMAN: Hire a city manager

A full-time city manager who daily handles the city’s finances could help identify areas where trimming is needed or duplications occur, Rytman said. He opposed the fire assessment fee and millage increase “because it puts a burden on people.” Hiring a city manager would require voters to change the city charter, Roy said.

JB WHITTEN: Raise the millage if needed

Whitten said rather than setting the millage rate — which the council must establish at its July 27 meeting — and then fitting the budget around it, city leaders should evaluate the budget and choose a millage rate that supports it.

WANT TO GO?

The Crestview City Council's next regular meeting is 6 p.m. July 27 at City Hall on Wilson Street. Those who want to offer suggestions can complete a yellow card, available outside the council chamber, and turn it in to the city clerk before the meeting.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 5 councilmen, 5 opinions: How to resolve the Crestview budget shortfall

CRESTVIEW — The City Council agreed to retain the services of city attorney Jerry Miller until Sept. 23 while requesting qualifications for his possible replacement.

City Clerk Betsy Roy said advertising the request for qualifications, or RFQ, will cost the city between $500 and $700.

Miller said he might apply for the position now that he has separated from Pleat, Perry and Ritchie, the firm with which Crestview has a contract for municipal attorney services.

At its June 22 meeting, the council voted to not reassign the city’s contract to Miller, who entered private practice as of June 30.

On June 23, David Pleat of PPR notified City Clerk Betsy Roy that the firm would exercise its 90-day notice option to terminate its agreement with the city as it no longer had a municipal attorney on staff.

PPR then contracted with Miller to continue to represent Crestview during the 90-day period.

Monday night, the council voted 4-1 to advertise a request for qualifications for a new city attorney, with Councilman Bill Cox voting nay.

The council did not vote to reassign the contract to Miller, although he will continue to represent Crestview as PPR’s contracted attorney until the Sept. 23 expiration of PPR’s 90-day notice.

“I think the message was pretty clear,” Miller said following the meeting.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview to possibly seek new attorney

CRESTVIEW — Limiting how long someone can park downtown during peak midday hours could be a solution to alleviating a perceived parking crunch.

At a Monday evening meeting of the Community Redevelopment Agency board, Growth Management Director Teresa Gaillard presented the results of a daylong downtown parking study conducted March 31.

“We have uncovered a couple problem areas,” Gaillard said. “To no surprise, it was the Woodruff Avenue and Main Street area near FAMU and Desi’s.”

Gaillard said the other busy area is at the north end of Main Street near the Okaloosa County Courthouse and Badcock and More.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Gaillard’s report made some recommendations to address tight parking, including implementing a two-hour parking limit during lunch hours, “and better signage so people know where they can park and for how long,” Gaillard said.

“Education of the public will be key in our parking solutions,” she said.

Another suggestion would be to work with business owners to make some private parking lots available to businesses that rely on on-street parking.

For example, Tom Gordon, owner of Gordon Martial Arts, has offered his parking lot to daytime parkers because most of his academy’s students attend evening classes.

UNDERUSED LOT

Gaillard also reported the downtown parking lot erected next to the railroad tracks on Wilson Street, about a five-minute walk from Desi’s, is underused except for parking county buses.

Gaillard said the study found some parking spots were occupied throughout the day, usually by employees of downtown businesses, while the average was two vehicles per spot per day.

“There is interchange at least twice for most parking spaces out there,” she said. “Some change as much as every 30 minutes.”

She cautioned that implementing time constraints “is an iffy prospect,” especially because of enforcement issues.

“If you are going to limit someone to two hours or four hours or whatever it is going to be, you may want to run parking meters again, or have citations,” she told the CRA board members.

Parking meters were removed from Main Street in November 1963 to stimulate downtown shopping, the “Crestview: The Forkland” history states.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Limiting downtown Crestview parking to 2 hours could alleviate crunch

CRESTVIEW — Many residents are sharing their concerns following the Confederate flag's removal from the William "Bill" Lundy Memorial.

City workers on Thursday quietly removed the rebel flag from its East First Avenue post. It had fluttered in the city, though not always in the same location, since 1958, when the Crestview Lions Club established a memorial to honor a man believed to be Florida's last surviving Civil War veteran.

Mayor David Cadle initially stated in a media release that the flag would relocate. "The proposal includes the Lundy family taking possession of the memorial and moving it to private land," he said.

Since then, several members of the Lundy family have questioned the statement.

"The family did not make a deal," Martha F. Lundy  said on the News Bulletin's Facebook page. "One member of the family took it upon themselves to make this offer without consulting anyone else."

"The mayor's office was flooded with phone calls from the rest of the Lundy family (Thursday) to inform the mayor that this person does not speak for the entire family," Reba Cobb Lundy said. 

"Just so everyone knows, a good portion of the Lundy family did not support this action and were caught as unaware as the rest of the public," Dexter Lundy said.

Family members also raised concerns about the rebel flag being replaced with an American flag.

"I'm pretty sure any Confederate soldier that fought, bled or died fighting a war over taxes for the Confederacy would consider that a slap in the face," Martha Lundy said. "No other flag should fly above a Confederate memorial other than a Confederate flag."

Rebel flags on public property have been targeted nationwide since Dylann Roof, a white man, killed nine black people in mid-June at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. But Okaloosa County's ‎NAACP chapter has called for the Crestview flag's removal for many years.

Sabu Williams, among the flag's critics, expressed relief and concern after word spread about the removal.

"An action long overdue but welcomed nonetheless," he said on Facebook. "My only regret is the fact that the flag was not lowered in dignity, folded in honor, and presented in respect to a surviving member of the Lundy family."

On Monday, former Crestview City Councilwoman Robyn Helt also criticized how the flag removal was handled.

"Our council members have an obligation and responsibility to make hard decisions for the citizens of Crestview," she said, addressing city leaders. "You have that responsibility to do that in a public forum that gives citizens an opportunity to participate.

"With respect to the Lundy memorial, the process should have involved the public's input and it should've occurred in a format that appeared in the sunshine instead of appearing to have occurred in a process where decisions were made without the citizens being consulted."

News Bulletin writer Brian Hughes contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FLAG FLIES NO MORE: Confederate flag comes down after more than 50 years