LAUREL HILL — Using the services of Dewberry, the Laurel Hill city council will map out their already existing water system. The contract between Dewberry and the city states this service will cost the city $20,000.

Last month, the city was awarded a Technical Assistance Grant for $20,000 for the purpose of contracting out a company to map out the current water system.

The city council is looking to have all of the existing water system put into a geographic information system file to "expand the system."

"It's a pretty simple process to update those maps," Crystal Weatherington, a Dewberry employee, said at the Oct. 4 regular meeting. "You guys will basically have a living document — living file — that you're able to update as changes occur in your water system."

Without any discussion from the council or the public, council members voted unanimously to approve signing a contract between Mayor Robby Adams and Dewberry.

The contract states that Dewberry will perform two services for the city: surveying and deliverables.

Dewberry will spend time locating and mapping the Laurel Hill water system and provide two sets of completed maps, according to the contract provided in the agenda.

Across the U.S., Dewberry provides many services like engineering, consulting, and architectural services.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill moving forward with updating and advancing water system files

CRESTVIEW — In the less-than-15-minute final hearing, city council members unanimously voted with one member missing to adopt the budget and millage rate for the next fiscal year.

The millage rate will stay the same at 6.9 mills, equivalent to $6.90 for every $1,000 of assessed property value.

Millage rates are used to calculate local property taxes, and Crestview’s rate will allow the city to collect around $7 million in property taxes.

Crestview’s millage rate remains the highest in Okaloosa County.

The $37.5 million budget was approved without changes.

Both the budget and millage rate will go into effect on Oct. 1, 2018 and end on Sep. 30, 2019.

Included in the budget is the city manager position, which was also discussed in a workshop meeting on the same night.

According to the workshop agenda, some of the city manager’s responsibilities will include:

• Attendance of all meetings
• Monthly financial reports, “unless otherwise directed by the council”
• Working with the city clerk and other departments on the budget
• Advising the council on financial status and needs of the city
• Maintaining public and media relations

Qualifications were also listed on the agenda.

Although some council members prefer to have a city manager from Crestview, they are not required to live in the city.

According to the agenda, the city manager’s salary will be “negotiable.”

However, the next fiscal year budget has $300,000 allotted for the city manager position.

The council is expected to begin accepting applications on Oct. 9.

The job will be listed on www.cityofcrestview.org.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Council approves millage rate, budget for next fiscal year

CRESTVIEW — The federal government offers a variety of ways to receive funding for public transportation, and the Crestview city council is looking to take part in that funding.

At the regular city council meeting on Sep. 10, Growth Managment Director Teresa Gaillard presented the Title VI and Non-Discrimination Policy and Plan including Limited English Proficiency Plan to the council members.

The plan would be adopted by form of a resolution which states, "For the City of Crestview to continue receiving and utilizing state and federal grant funds it is necessary to adopt the Title VI and Nondiscrimination Policy and Plan including Limited English Proficiency (LEP)." The resolution is likely to be voted on at the October meeting.

According to the policy statement on the agenda, because the city receives federal funds, they are required to adhere to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in attempt to prevent any kind of discrimination of both government employees and those partaking in government services.

The policy statements also said, "As a recipient of federal funds, as well as being a Florida Department of Transportation fund recipient, the City will ensure that its programs, policies and activities comply with all federal and FDOT Title VI Regulations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable regulations."

The Title VI program adopted by the city will be subject to review every 3 years.

Gaillard said the purpose of adopting this plan is for the city to remain more independent from Okaloosa County.

"This will put us where we can stand on our own feet," Gaillard said.

Also included in the city's Title VI plan is the Limited English Proficiency plan. LEP individuals are those who don't speak English as their first language or are not proficient in writing, reading, or understanding English. The LEP plan is to see that these individuals have equal access to city programs and services.

The LEP plan is based off information about those who speak English from the census. If adopted by the council, the plan would be based off the 2020 census.

"We may be surprised by the increase," Gaillard said.

According to Gaillard, the Title VI plan will have a "coordinator." At the moment, Gaillard said there is only one person who would be qualified, and he has completed half of the required classes.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview council seeks transportation funding

CRESTVIEW — Crestview voters approved three amendments on the primary ballot Aug. 28 that would allow for a change in government structure.

Here are some of the reactions from Crestview citizens.

Matt Gates started a Facebook group called “Crestview Citizens for Change” that has over 1,600 members. He said he advocated for the amendments, and was happy to see them pass.

“As with any big change there will be growing pains, but the benefits of an effective city government will bring droves of positives, from budget management to handling HR issues to allowing our current employees the ability to focus on their own roles and not pick up slack that’s developed from our existing structure,” Gates wrote on Facebook.

Michael Gilbert, a member of Gates’ Facebook group, wrote, “Full time problems require full time management. We will have that now.”

Paul Lowrey also wrote in the Facebook group that the city-manager position would be a positive change in the city of Crestview’s government.

“Supervision of day-to-day operations and oversight for all the departments is crucial for a City the size of Crestview,” Lowrey said. “Duties that go along with HR, such as hiring, dismissal, and discipline will be handled more effectively.”

Andrew Rencich filed to run for city council in March 2018. He said this was the outcome he wanted.

“We’ve been held back for years,” Rencich said. “…The city manager is going to be fairly expensive … but that person should be able to turn their salary into savings.”

The first amendment was a repeal and replacement of the city charter. The new charter states that it, “conforms to municipal home rule powers granted by Florida Law; describes and clarifies the duties, responsibilities and authority of City officials; makes format changes; and deletes obsolete and redundant language.”

Next on the ballot was the addition of the city manager position, which voters approved 60 to 40 percent. The city has allocated $300,000 in the 2019-2020 fiscal year budget for the city manager's office. Council President J.B. Whitten said that number is higher than anticipated costs.

The third amendment was a tight vote, 51 to 49 percent. This amendment changed the city clerk’s position from elected to appointed by the city council.

According to the ordinance adopted by the city council in May 2018, the new charter will become effective on Oct. 1.

Whitten said this could mean the council members can begin developing the criteria for the city manager position at the October meeting.

"What we'll probably doing is having a workshop to work all that stuff out," Whitten said.

For information about upcoming city council meetings, visit www.cityofcrestview.org.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview citizens react to amendment results

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview city council members have a long list of important tasks coming up, and among those tasks is the "right-of-way parking and enforcement procedures."

Crestview resident Landrum Edwards spoke to the council about the parking issue at the Aug. 27 workshop meeting.

"This was brought up 20 years ago. You go to the south side of town, some parts of the north, to the west … a lot of the old houses are built right up next to the road," Edwards said. "Where do you park? On the right of way."

The council members discussed whether or not the police department has the ability to give someone a ticket that is parked in the street, blocking off a lane.

Police Chief Jamie Grant wasn't aware of any ordinance that gives them the ability to ticket someone in this case, but said he would do more research on this issue.

"…I need to look into it a little bit more rather than be blindsided. If we write the citation, how is that citation heard … through the court system or is it heard through the city level with it being an ordinance?" Grant said. "There's a little black area right there."

City ordinance 86-37 states that people have 12 hours to move their vehicles before they can be towed. According to the meeting agenda, the Crestview Police Department has used a 72-hour sticker that stated the vehicle had to be moved in 72 hours or it would be towed.

There is also a city ordinance that prohibits parking in the roadway unless marked for parking.

Councilman Doug Faircloth said he gave an ordinance about parking in the street to the previous police chief, but it was not enforced.

The city does have ordinances that prohibit parking in the right of way, but Gaillard said the ordinances are not specific to the shoulder of the right of way.

Edwards was concerned about another law enforcement matter — illegal drug use. He spoke about the issues with drugs he's facing on his street.

"I've complained about it," Edwards said. "I've talked to the mayor about it, and he agreed … We've got a problem."

Other important tasks discussed included a study of the flow of traffic on Highway 85, Title VI non-discrimination policy, and new zoning categories.

The council members will place a low, medium, or high priority on each task and then, give their list to Growth Management Director Teresa Gaillard.

A complete lists of tasks can be found on the Aug. 27 workshop meeting agenda on the city's website.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Right-of-way parking issue sparks public comment

CRESTVIEW — The Community Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners made recommendations at the workshop meeting Monday for changes to specifics on different grants offered to developers.

Although no action was taken at the meeting, the commissioners discussed changing wording and requirements for different grants.

The list of grants included the following: mixed use residential and commercial development, asbestos mitigation, building code compliance upgrade, commercial investor property development, and facade and building improvement.

Applications were also listed with each description of the grants.

CRA Director Alisa Burleson said the goal of these grants is to give businesses an incentive to build in downtown Crestview.

"The purpose of having these grants are to encourage something that's not already happening downtown," Burleson said.

Burleson used the commercial investor property development grant as an example of this purpose. The goal of this grant is to cater to businesses that will stay open after regular business hours and on the weekends.

The funds for each grant come from what Burleson calls a "bucket." The funds are not specific to each grant.

This workshop meeting comes after the CRA voted on Aug. 27 to form a grant review committee that will make recommendations to the board of commissioners after reviewing grant applications in their meetings. The committee nominations are expected to be announced at the next meeting in September.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CRA holds workshop on grants

CRESTVIEW — The Community Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners will be holding a workshop meeting on Monday, Aug. 27  where they are expected to discuss criteria for nominations of a new grant review committee.

City Clerk Elizabeth Roy said  at last week's monthly CRA meeting that the CRA offers several grants and instead of having a board for each grant, they are proposing a CRA grant review committee.

The committee would have nine members including CRA Director Alisa Burleson who would administrate meetings without power to vote and present grant recommendations to the CRA Board of Commissioners. Committee members would be expected to fulfill a commitment of up to three years.

The purpose of the committee is to make recommendations to the CRA board after reviewing grant applications in their public meetings.

“Once we get the criteria set up for the four or five different grants that are available through the master plan, this committee will be the first line of defense for anybody that wants to apply for the grants,” Roy said at the Aug. 13 meeting.

Roy also said members of the grant review board can apply for grants but will not be allowed to vote for their own grants.

Council President J.B. Whitten said in the Aug. 13 meeting that members of the committee including the CRA director would not be permitted to speak with any of the CRA commissioners about the grant meetings.

Some CRA board members had mixed opinions on the committee.

Councilman Doug Faircloth said he thought the committee seemed redundant and unnecessary.

“To me, it’s like somebody scraping their fingers on a black board. It’s irritating enough to put so many layers of government in a place that you never get anything done,” Faircloth said.

Council vice president Bill Cox said he liked the idea of a grant review committee.

“Someone on that appointed board could be the champion for a particular grant … Division of labor, you can get more work done to present to Alisa and come back to the board,” Cox said.

The CRA board approved the grant review committee on Aug. 13.

The criteria for the grants and applications are expected to be completed by the September monthly meeting along with the current board members’ committee nominations, Roy said.

The workshop meeting is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 27 at 4 p.m in City Hall.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview moves forward with grant review committee

CRESTVIEW — Citizens of Crestview can voice their opinion about a possible new assisted living facility coming to Crestview at the next city council meeting in September.

The city will hold a second public hearing about a Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG, the facility developers need.

One of the six property owners, Fredrick Barrow, said at last week’s city council meeting they need the grant for road work. They want the city to extend Patriot Lane to connect to Brookmeade Drive, which runs behind the hospital. Barrow said the goal is easier access to the hospital.

Barrow, a former Crestview resident, said they are in a sense donating the property to the city.

“The city of Crestview working with us on this is definitely to their benefit, and it’s for the good of all of Crestview because Crestview is really fast growing,” Barrow said.

Currently, Crestview has three assisted living facilities and the Eden at Crestview coming in 2019, which will be the largest assisted living facility in Crestview with room for up to 70 residents.

“Right there around the hospital area, that’s it, a 30-bed facility … nothing in a resort style like we’re wanting to build and Eden’s wanting to build,” Barrow said.

The federal funds from a CDBG in the economic development category are given based on how many jobs developers create. The city will be required to pay back the funds to the state if the facility does not create the number of jobs listed on the application. If the application is approved, the city will require the owners to sign an agreement that will hold them responsible for jobs not created in order to keep the city from having to pay back the funds.

If the grant is approved, the city would be responsible for contracting out construction for the road work.

In the economic development category, the city can apply for up to $1.5 million.

Barrow said at the Aug. 13 city council meeting that he built an assisted living facility in Jay. He told the council that the Crestview facility would be similar.

“We have a lot of contacts there. We have a lot of doctors that know we’re building there and excited about us coming there,” Barrow said. “I think the thing is going to be full before we ever open the doors.”

The facility in Jay, called The Terrace at Ivey Acres, is licensed for 70 beds and 30 full-time employees.

The Crestview city council held the first public hearing for the grant on Aug. 13 and unanimously approved the development of the application with Councilman Shannon Hayes absent.

The second public hearing is expected Sept. 10 at city hall.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: New assisted living facility potentially coming to Crestview

CRESTVIEW — The only building official and license holder for the Crestview building department left Friday for a job in Pensacola.

Jonathan Bilby is the only person in the building department that is licensed to administrate and interpret the Florida Building Code.

“I can’t say that his leaving is not going to create a vacuum. He’s very valuable … The question is how quickly can we fill the position with a qualified individual,” council president J.B. Whitten said.

The department will be relying on qualified employees of Fort Walton Beach’s building department to assume Bilby’s responsibilities.

“The building official we’re going to rely on is very good at his job. We shouldn’t see any slowdowns as far as that goes,” Bilby said.

According to the agenda at the Aug. 13 city council meeting, Fort Walton Beach will be using electronic systems to review plans and will perform inspections via Skype or Facetime.

The agenda says, “The electronic transfer of files is the most efficient and cost-effective ways to accomplish the task.”

The city will be required to pay the building official from Fort Walton Beach $48 per hour and the inspector $25 per hour.

The inter-local agreement—a contract allowing local government agencies to perform joint operations—between Crestview and Fort Walton Beach passed 4-0 with Councilman Shannon Hayes missing from the council.

Bilby has been with the city since 2012 but decided to leave Crestview after receiving an offer for the Inspection Services Administrator position in Pensacola.

“It comes with a substantial pay increase. It’s a chance to manage a larger jurisdiction, and then, I will actually be closer to home because I live in Navarre,” Bilby said.

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview business director leaves for Pensacola