CRESTVIEW — The City Council tabled an effort to again revise its Rules of Procedure after a previously approved revisions established a process for delivering invocations before meetings.

The actual revision under consideration at Monday’s council meeting would redefine its regular second monthly meeting as a workshop.

However, with multiple area clergymen and faithful packing the council chamber, councilmen requested more opportunity to consider the rules and possible revisions.

The council’s current Rules of Procedure were adopted in 2013. A revision later that year described how special meetings are called.

The rules were further revised at the May 11 meeting, adding a section mandating procedures for selecting area clergy to present the invocation traditionally offered prior to each meeting.

Until then, council members, some of whom are leaders in their respective churches, occasionally offered the invocation.

However, city attorney Jerry Miller advised the council members to refrain from offering the prayer following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that “under the establishment clause of the United States Constitution, a local government should not promote or  advance any one belief, view or religion.”

WORKSHOPS

City Clerk Betsy Roy said the tweak proposed Monday would help solve scheduling difficulties that sometimes arose when trying to set a date for workshops.

“There’s always workshops,” Roy said. “We’re going to try to have a workshop instead of a second meeting so when they (council members) come to council, the work will be done.”

Workshops allow council members to discuss and debate proposals and projects in detail in a public setting without taking time from regular council business meetings.

Council members do not vote during workshops, but Council President Shannon Hayes may ask for the other members’ consensus on a question.

Roy said a business meeting during which city policy can be voted on can easily be added on workshop days.

“If we have to have a resolution, it will be done as a special meeting right before the workshop,” she said.

OFF TOPIC

Though Council President Shannon Hayes tried to focus discussion on the workshop revision on the agenda, speakers from the audience and council members kept returning to the invocation issue.

"This resolution has nothing to do with the invocation," Roy said. "The reason the invocation is in there is because it was voted on at the May 11 meeting."

Councilman JB Whitten moved to not approve the resolution, then Councilman Mickey Rytman moved to table Whitten’s motion, effectively killing discussion of the rules.

 To revive the resolution, the matter will have to be placed on the agenda of a future council meeting, then voted off the table.

“At some time we have to discuss the invocation,” Whitten said. “I want to table it and give ourselves time to digest this.”

Mayor David Cadle told the council that at any time it may come back and revisit the controversial rule.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview council procedural rules contested by clergy, supporters

LAUREL HILL — The city may soon have an official — or at least semi-official — Internet presence.

City leaders on Thursday discussed filling the council's vacant fifth seat and seeking resident input for ongoing research of a proposal to dissolve the city.

Councilman Scott Moneypenny asked Council Chairman Larry Hendren how information about filling the vacant council seat was being disseminated. Applications are being accepted through June 19.

"Typically it's the newspaper and word of mouth," Hendren said, adding that council meetings' minutes and pertinent official reports are also posted at City Hall and the post office.

"Is there anything that stops us from having an unofficial Facebook page?" Moneypenny asked.

"Yes, there is," former mayor Joan Smith said, explaining Florida League of Cities rules recommend a municipality's web presence be comprehensive and should include all city ordinances, the city charter, council minutes and other documents.

"It bears investigation," Hendren said. "Let's see what the current rules are. Rules do change."

Mayor Robby Adams said that if the city started a Facebook page, "we need to regulate feedback because some postings can get pretty nasty."

Councilwoman Debra Adams suggested that inserts in monthly water bills could also be a good method for sending information to residents.

The council agreed to look into establishing a web presence and other communications venues.

"The timing is good right now to get questions out about dissolving or not dissolving," Hendren said.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill considers establishing web presence

CRESTVIEW — Affordable housing for senior citizens is officially in development on Brookmeade Drive. The City Council on Thursday voted 3-1 to approve various agreements that will bring 102 units to property just south of the Hospital Drive-Brookmeade intersection.  

The council approved a $1 million loan agreement, mortgage, rental regulatory agreement, promissory note and subordination agreement with Katie Manor Ltd. during a special meeting. Council members Bill Cox, Mickey Rytman and Council President Shannon Hayes favored the agreements; Councilman JB Whitten dissented.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity granted the city $1 million so that Katie Manor would contract with Crestview and built the property under its terms. For instance, Katie Manor must charge rent "equal to or less than 30 percent of annual incomes for households at or below 60 percent of area median income … minus tenant-paid utilities," the agreement states.

Some risk is involved. "There are no absolute guarantees about exposure," city attorney Jerry Miller said. "We have done what is regular and routine in these kinds of transactions, which involve the city being in a position of a second mortgagee related to the trust funds that are being passed to us and that we in turn are contracting through this loan agreement for the developer to build and operate this business."

Whitten questioned what would happen if the project failed. "Our budget's $29 million … I'm just not willing to gamble that kind of money on something that's not risk-free," he said.

Hayes said many seniors need affordable housing and the reward is worth the risk. "There's risk involved in anything," he said. "For one individual citizen, that's a lot of money, but for a city to do business, $1 million is not a lot of money."

Katie Manor, with similar developments in Jacksonville and Orlando, is not new to affordable housing, city officials said. "They had to prove that they were the people who could do this and who deserve the million dollars," City Clerk Betsy Roy said.

The city expects an estimated $20,000 annually from the apartments' water and sewer bills; that's in addition to revenues from excise taxes and utility services.

The rental housing likely would be available sometime in 2016 or 2017, according to the agreement, which states that the city will pay for attorney fees and time for city staffers' work on the project. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview City Council OKs $1 million loan for seniors' affordable housing

CRESTVIEW — Florida House Bill 185 – providing exemption from public release of the records of certain military and their family members – was signed into law on June 2.

Current and former service members of the U.S. Armed Forces, Reserve Forces or National Guard who served after Sept. 11, 2001 are eligible to apply for the exemption. Military spouses and voting-age children are also able to be protected.

Individuals requesting this exemption for their voter registration information must submit a request form to the Supervisor of Elections.

In doing so, they must agree to having already made a reasonable effort to protect their identity and location information from being accessible through other means available to the public (Facebook, other social media, websites, etc.).

Voter registration information is public record in Florida with a few exceptions. Information such as your Social Security number, driver’s license number, and the source of your voter registration application cannot be released or disclosed to the public under any circumstances. Your signature can be viewed, but not copied. Other information such as your name, address, date of birth, party affiliation, and when you voted is public information.

Exemption request forms can be found on the Supervisor of Elections website at www.GoVote-Okaloosa.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Florida public records exemption passes for military voters

CRESTVIEW — Ray Bolden, candidate and absentee coordinator for the Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections Office, announced   the candidates who have prefiled for the Okaloosa primaries in 2016.

They include Graham Fountain, Crestview, for the District 1 County Commission Board; Charles Cawthon and Tim Bryant, both of Crestview, for District 4 School Board; Marline Van Dyke, Niceville, for Superintendent of Schools; and Kelly Windes of Destin for the District 5 County Commission Board.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Three Crestview residents prefiled as 2016 Okaloosa primaries candidates

The City of Crestview Technical Review Committee will meet at 10 a.m. June 2 at City Hall, 198 Wilson St. N.,  Crestview.

The agenda is as follows:

•Convene meeting.

•Approve May 5, 2015 minutes.

•Review site construction plans for Katie Manor, Ltd., a 102-unit senior adult apartment facility.  Location of the project is a 6.69-acre parcel on Brookmeade Drive, southeast of the hospital.  The developer has requested the City of Crestview review this project under Okaloosa County zoning regulations to allow owners to start development prior to the Comprehensive Plan completion.  Tim Bowden, PE, with Seaside Engineering & Surveying, LLC is the engineer. 

•Review Site development plans for Ken Patel Drainage Improvements consisting of adding a retaining wall, stormwater retention and fill located in front of LaRumba Mexican Restaurant's property.   Requested by Scott Jenkins, PE of Jenkins Engineering, Inc., for the property owner.  LPA 15-10.

•Consider other business as necessary.

•Adjourn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: June 2 agenda includes Crestview senior apartments construction review