CRESTVIEW — The Crestview city council has unanimously approved three ballot questions to be voted on in the August primary election.

The council held a special meeting May 29 to vote on a variety of ordinances ranging from rezoning to an extension of the Community Redevelopment Plan. The most pressing issue, however, was the precise wording of the three referendum questions that will appear on the August 28 ballot.

“This is a long process,” council president J.B. Whitten said. “We wanted to make sure it got done expeditiously, so the reason we called a special meeting tonight was to make sure we got this done and over to the supervisor of elections.”

The deadline for ballot questions to be submitted is June 15.

The three questions will allow voters to decide on specific changes to the city’s charter that could alter the way the city operates.

Question one will ask voters to allow the city to repeal and replace the current city charter in order to modernize it and delete “obsolete and redundant” language. The second question will ask voters to approve a switch to a city manager form of government. The third question will ask voters to allow for the city clerk, currently an elected position, to be appointed by the city council.

Whitten has campaigned in favor of the changes, particularly when it comes to moving to a city manager form of government.

“This is the most important vote that you can have concerning the future of Crestview,” Whitten said at a May 24 town hall meeting.

Currently, Crestview is the largest city in Florida that still utilizes a “weak mayor” form of government. The majority of “weak mayor” cities have fewer than 6,000 residents. Proponents of the change argue that a professional city manager is needed to run the day-to-day operations of a city the size of Crestview.

Council member Shannon Hayes announced later in the meeting that he too would be holding town halls to speak to voters about the referendum questions.

“I plan on having one in June and at least one in July and maybe one in August,” Hayes said. “I’d like to make sure [the voters] are informed of this. I’m in favor of it, but I want to tell them why I’m in favor of it.”

Whitten has previously held two town hall meetings and is planning another in June.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview referendum questions set for August ballot

Crestview Mayor David Cadle announced that on Wednesday, May 9, he placed Crestview Chief of Police, Tony Taylor, on administrative leave with pay while the department is conducting a review of city of Crestview employee regulations and Crestview Police Department policies and protocols, according to a press release from the mayor’s office. Cadle hopes to conclude the review as quickly as possible.

Crestview Police Department has not responded to calls as of 3:30 p.m. May 9.

We will update this story with more details as they become available.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Chief Taylor placed on leave

CRESTVIEW — City Council President J.B. Whitten held the first in a series of town hall events April 26 at Casbah Coffee Co. Whitten plans to host a total of at least three town halls this spring to discuss his views on the upcoming city charter referendum.

The referendum, which will appear on the August 28 primary ballot, will give Crestview voters the opportunity to decide whether they want to keep the current form of city government or bring in a city manager.

The current form of city government is a weak mayor system — the mayor heads some city departments and does not have a vote at city council meetings. Under the proposed changes, the council will be able to appoint a city manager to preside over the day-to-day operations of city government.

Whitten made it clear that he supports the proposed changes to the city charter.

“As one of your elected officials, part of your city government, I’m telling you that in my opinion we are inefficient in the way we operate,” he said. “I’m not saying that people are bad people. I’m not saying that we have bad leadership. I’m saying that what we have is inefficient.”

The majority of cities in Florida currently operate under a city manager form of government, particularly those with populations similar to Crestview’s.

“We are operating like a town that has about 1,700 people. And I will tell you probably in 1963 when we put that charter into effect, it probably worked for us,” Whitten said.

According to Whitten, Crestview is the largest city in Florida that still has a weak mayor form of government.

A previous referendum to change the city charter in 2012 failed by a 53 to 47 margin. Whitten said he believes that failure was caused in part by a lack of voter education on the issue.

Whitten, a first-term city council member who is running for mayor in 2019, expressed frustration at the way the current form of city government works.

“I’ve worked with the city government enough to know that it doesn’t work as well as it should. We’re doing a disservice to our people,” Whitten said. “I see the need to have one individual in charge of everything on a full-time basis.”

Bill Toannon, who owns Casbah Coffee Co., supports the idea of a city manager.

“I love our city council and it represents us very broadly, but I don’t know that our city council has municipal HR under their belts or municipal finance under their belts or municipal real estate development under their belts or all of these things that you look for in a professional city manager,” Toannon said. “That just thrills me to enable the city council to govern at that high level where they need to be, but also getting all the things done at the level where we live.”

Whitten plans to hold at least two more meetings with citizens to talk about the charter referendum at different times of day. He is planning an afternoon meeting in May and an evening meeting in June.

“In my four years on the city council … I consider this the most important issue that I’ve had to deal with, and we’ve done some pretty significant things,” Whitten said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'I consider this the most important issue'

CRESTVIEW — A new shooting range for the Crestview Police Department is in limbo after residents near the proposed site for the range raised concerns.

Mark Anderson, who lives near the proposed site off Retta Lane, spoke at the April 9 Crestview City Council meeting where the council voted unanimously to annex the site into the city. The council had previously voted to allocate that land for the shooting range in December 2016.

Anderson brought up a number of concerns, including safety, quality of life due to the noise generated by the range and the impact on the value of the surrounding properties. He felt that some of the claims made by police chief Tony Taylor and others at the council meeting were misleading.

“I believe that the police chief or whoever presented this to the city council deliberately left that information out,” Anderson said, speaking about the fact that there were houses adjacent to the proposed site. “I really didn’t appreciate that the gentlemen were spinning around the subject.”

He also claims that nobody spoke with him or his family when the range was first proposed. His neighbor, Danny Rhodes, said the first time he was made aware of what was going on was when he saw yellow police tape around part of the property directly across the street from his.

“Had somebody walked out here and talked about it, maybe it might be a little different. I don’t know,” Rhodes said. “With it being so close to everybody, why did nobody say anything?”

In December of 2017, activity increased at the site.

CPD Commander Andrew Schneider said that was when the department began clearing the land with a bulldozer donated by a resident. Officers also volunteered their time to go out and help clear the wooded property. Schneider said that was when the nearby property owners began to express their concerns.

“Right now, we’re in a holding pattern,” Schneider said. “We’re putting things on hold until we can basically determine what type of impact it’s going to have on some of those people in the surrounding area right there.”

Schneider said that it was unfortunate that the range was so close to some of the residents in the area, but that it was difficult finding a place to put a shooting range where it would not impact anyone.

“The conundrum is we’re trying to find a place that can be both safe and beneficial to our agency. Out of all the areas they want to do it, that’s the property that is the most ideal.”

He also addressed specific concerns the property owners had.

“There’s a big misconception that we’re going to be out there shooting all the time, all day long, like it’s going to be an open range and stuff like that. It’s not,” Schneider said. “There’s only going to be less than 50 times a year that we’re going to be out there on the shooting range.”

Rhodes is concerned that an active shooting range oriented towards Retta Lane would block the only access to and from his house. Rhodes, who has a military background, said the military would close off roads adjacent to their shooting ranges while they were active.

“There’s several times where somebody goes up and down this road, and if I have to wait because they’re out there doing their stuff, then I can’t get anywhere,” Rhodes said. “This is my only egress to get in and out of here.”

But Schneider said that was not necessary because of the 48-foot wide by 24-foot tall berms that will surround the range.

“We’re talking about 48 feet of dirt. There is not a caliber (gun) that’s currently in the arsenal of the United States government that’s capable of penetrating that.”

Schneider also noted that there would be large red flags put up when the range was in use to alert residents, as well as fencing around the entire property to prevent anyone from wandering into the range.

Rhodes said he understood the need for the shooting range, but did not want it so close to his front door.

“It’s right on our doorstep. It’s not far enough away,” Rhodes said. “We are not against them training. We understand that they need training.

“We don’t want to be looked at badly by the police force. You can probably poll them and ask them if it was in front of their house would they like it. I bet they’d say no.”

After the April 9 council meeting, council president J.B. Whitten arranged a meeting with Mayor David Cadle, Chief Taylor, Andrew Schneider and Wayne Steele, the city’s public services director. The group discussed alternative plans for the shooting range, including Anderson’s suggestion that they use a nearby spray field at the city’s wastewater treatment facility.

Anderson said he contacted the Florida Department of Environmental Protection about the idea and he was told there was nothing restricting the city from building a shooting range in that location.

“It’s a viable option for them,” Anderson said, citing the larger space that is further from residential areas.

But Whitten said it was not that simple. He said Steele contacted the DEP as well, and they highly recommended against building a shooting range in the spray field, citing examples of other cities that did so and had poor results due the high levels of chlorine in the treated water being sprayed.

“We kind of took that off the table, I believe, at that meeting,” Whitten said. “We need to look at what we can do to minimize the impact of this if in fact we go forward with this. The chief is focusing on limiting the type of weapons, limiting the days and the hours.”

Schneider said the department is now waiting on the city council to determine what will happen with the location.

“The next step is just assessing the impact. We have definitely heard and respect the people that live around there. We respect and appreciate their concerns. We have to move forward with some type of decision to either progress with a range there or find a location elsewhere that we could do it.

“Right now we’re just in the stage of making an assessment and putting trust in the council members to make a decision that can be beneficial for everybody.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Plans for police shooting range on hold

CRESTVIEW — If you don't have any idea what a Community Redevelopment Agency is, you’re not alone.

Crestview has had one for more than 20 years, but CRA director Alisa Burleson is concerned that many residents don’t know just what it is the CRA does.

“The purpose of the CRA, the sole mission and purpose is to get rid of slum and blight,” Burleson said.

Florida state law allows local governments to designate Community Redevelopment Areas for revitalization projects. The majority of these areas are downtown areas that have seen businesses shut down and move to other parts of the city. Crestview enacted its CRA plan in 1995.

“When you see all these cities across the country and downtowns are being revitalized and redone, that’s the result of some of those (CRAs),” Burleson said. “We go in and try and evaluate the area and see what can be done that can build it back up and make it look good and make it vibrant for the community as a whole.”

The original CRA district covered all of Main Street, as well as Highway 85 from the center of town to the point where Main Street empties into it. It also covered the adjacent parts of Wilson and Spring streets. After three expansions, it now covers more of Wilson Street, much of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue to the west, and the Twin Hills Park area.

The CRA board currently consists of the five sitting city council members and two other appointed members who work in the CRA district. The board will soon be expanding to add an eighth member, who may be seated on the board as early as the next meeting in May.

Agreement with Okaloosa County

Earlier this month, the CRA, the city and the Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners all agreed to enter into an interlocal agreement regarding the CRA. Among other things, it renews the CRA until 2040, another 15 years beyond its original expiration date of 2025. It also requires that a county commissioner be seated as a non-voting member of the CRA board.

Nathan Boyles is the county commissioner for District 3, which encompasses most of the CRA district. He also owns Main Street Land Title Company and Main Street Eats in the downtown area. Boyles said there’s an expectation that he will be the commissioner named to the CRA board at the county commission’s April 17 meeting.

“I love downtown Crestview, which is why we invested heavily, probably over-concentrated frankly, in downtown Crestview,” Boyles said. “I saw tremendous potential with that downtown district. So I’ve been, I think, a proponent of trying to capitalize on that potential since I bought my first building downtown.”

Boyles said he feels that having a county commissioner on the board will facilitate communication between board members and help leverage the additional resources the county has.

“If I am appointed, I’ll have the opportunity to work in much the same way that the mayor does currently in the city council structure, which is to work both before, during and after the meetings with the members of the CRA to move us towards progress and towards good decision-making,” Boyles said.

“If I’m the one sitting up there, certainly I’m not shy about sharing my opinion, and I fully intend to do so.”

Current Projects

The CRA is currently working on various projects with the goal of making the downtown area a livelier, more business-friendly area. There are limitations on what it can do though.

For example, the CRA can’t replace the bulbs in the street lights on Main Street, as that falls under the city’s responsibility. The CRA can, however, repaint the light poles or undertake other beautification projects.

One misconception, Burleson said, is that the CRA can spend funds anywhere in the city. The CRA can legally only spend funds within its district. It can’t, for example, bring in most big-box or chain retailers, because they have too large a footprint to fit into the downtown area.

The most recent project to receive approval from the board is new gateway signs for the downtown area. Burleson said the signs will be an invitation for both businesses and the public to come downtown.

“If I can do things in that area that provide the citizens a positive experience, whether it be shopping or just the atmosphere or restaurants, it’s just a positive experience,” Burleson said. “That’s what I’m shooting for.”

Challenges

Redeveloping Main Street Crestview is not without its speed bumps and roadblocks. Burleson said the biggest challenge she sees is downtown property owners sitting on empty properties.

“The biggest challenge is we’ve got vacant properties downtown that people want to sell, but they’re valuing way more than what they’re worth,” Burleson said.

“I have had people … that if they would come down on the price, I would have something there tomorrow. But they want too much for the property, and they don’t need the money, and they would rather let it sit there than let somebody come in and buy it or even rent it.”

Boyles identified other challenges, such as consistent leadership and the changing retail landscape.

“One (challenge) has been a lack of leadership. I think we’re working through that issue to kind of regain some focus on the district and focus on a plan for success,” Boyles said, citing turnover at the position of CRA director.

“The continuing changing landscape of the retail market has been, and will continue to be a challenge. That’s one that can be overcome, but it requires a consistent and dedicated approach. And really what it requires is building a destination.”

An eye to the future

The interlocal agreement extends the CRA’s mandate to 2040, giving it another 22 years to try to revitalize downtown Crestview. The state of Florida is pushing to bring an end to future CRAs, which means the prospects of extending that mandate past 2040 are increasingly unlikely.

Burleson said her vision for 2040 is “an 18-hour day with people living in apartments above the shops and shops downstairs. It’s a place to where everybody of all ages can live, work, play, eat and enjoy.”

Boyles also hopes to see a revitalized downtown.

“What I believe it can be, what I believe it will be, is a vibrant business district that consists of a mix of retail shops and restaurants and professional businesses and governmental entities,” he said. “I believe it will also have a substantial component of homes, whether those are apartments or condos or single family homes.

“You’ll have a substantial population who values living in a city center and values doing business in a city center. I think you will have adequate green space and connectivity to places like Twin Hills Park so folks can exercise and enjoy the outdoors and yet still be in a location where they can walk to get most of the basic amenities that they need to live.

“I believe that district will be a major economic engine, creating jobs and providing tax dollars to support the community as a whole. I think it will be a place that we are really, really proud of.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Downtown redevelopment board looks toward the future

LAUREL HILL — The Laurel Hill City Council, at its April 5 meeting, set a date for a city workshop to discuss putting forward a unified vision for where the city stands on potential future development of Highway 85.

The need for the workshop arose after Scott Moneypenny informed the council that a larger workshop on transportation is being planned that would involve officials from Crestview, Laurel Hill, Okaloosa County and FDOT, as well as State Senator George Gainer.

“They’re requesting a resolution from our city that we will align with them in Triumph funding and propose a change to try to get anywhere from $25 million to $35 million to complete the western bypass (around Crestview),” Moneypenny said.

Triumph is a non-profit that oversees funds for economic damages caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Moneypenny expressed concern for how a bypass around Crestview would affect traffic traveling north through Laurel Hill.

“We’re going to be the next bottleneck,” he said. “I think we really need to look at getting the traffic around Laurel Hill, because it’s got to go somewhere. We may be looking at five years or more down the road, but this is something we need to take action on now.”

Moneypenny suggested pushing for a bypass around Laurel Hill, citing a potential increase in traffic through the middle of town. Council members Johnny James and Debra Adams disagreed that there was a need for a bypass.

City attorney Jeff Burns suggested the city hold their own workshop prior to the transportation workshop in order to craft a unified message to take into the meeting.

“I understand both sides. We want people to come here, but we don’t want to overwhelm our community,” Moneypenny said.

The Laurel Hill Council set the workshop for 6 p.m. April 24 at the Laurel Hill city office and recieved approval by a unanimous vote.

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill council divided on Highway 85 bypass

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview City Council at its March 24 workshop discussed a proposed overhaul of the city’s property maintenance code.

One of the sticking points was the section on maintenance of weeds. The proposed code states exterior property areas in the city should be free from weeds or plant growth in excess of 12 inches, with exceptions for cultivated flowers and gardens. The code also states that the city has the authority to cut down the excessive vegetation at the property owner’s expense if the owner fails to comply with code violation notices.

City councilman Doug Faircloth raised concerns about the city’s liability in the event a contractor hired by the city caused damage while on private property.

“If they incur a cost because Grandma’s rose garden was so overgrown they cut down the rose bushes too, and in the course of getting there they run over and break four or five sprinkler heads," he asked, "is that going to be part of the cost incurred, or is Crestview going to be liable?”

City attorney Ben Holley confirmed the city would be liable for any property damage in that scenario.

Growth Management Director Teresa Gaillard, whose department had the task of updating the code, said that situations where people did not comply with code violation notices are rare.

Public services director Wayne Steele said his department takes appropriate precautions when entering onto private property for any reason.

“There are a lot of times we go on private property, but we always get permission,” Steele said. “We get hold-harmless agreements. We get everything we can to protect us. We take pictures before we do anything and after.”

The council will now review the proposed changes and submit any questions to the Growth Management Department by April 9 in order to take action on the overhaul at the May 14 regular council meeting.

Council members also took time to welcome the city’s new code official, Chuck Bonta. Bonta is a state-licensed building inspector who has worked for the Okaloosa Board of Commissioners for 17 years.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: City hears proposed property code changes

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview City Council discussed ways to educate city residents about the importance of clearly displaying physical address numbers on residences and businesses March 26 at its monthly workshop.

The 2020 national census is on the horizon, which means census workers will need to go door-to-door to poll anyone who does not return their census form in the mail. In 2010, only 72 percent of the nation’s households mailed in their form, around the same percentage as in 2000.

The importance of properly displaying address numbers isn’t limited to making it easier for census workers find houses. They're also key for emergency workers looking for people in trouble. It can be difficult for first responders like firefighters and emergency medical technicians to find a house when trees obscure the address numbers or they're missing altogether.

“The highest priority we need to concentrate on is the physical placement of the addresses on the structures,” Growth Management Director Teresa Gaillard said. “It’s extremely important to emergency services.”

Address numbers need to be displayed in the proper physical location, in contrasting colors and be clearly visible from the roadway.

“Unfortunately, we have been out in the field and a good 70 percent are not readable,” Gaillard said.

The city is addressing the problem of odd and even numbers being on the same side of a street, half-number addresses and people making up or assuming their address number when none is clearly displayed, Gaillard said.

City Clerk Betsy Roy put forward an idea for educating residents through the social media accounts of the various city departments like police and fire, as well as sending out a mailer in city water bills.

Another issue discussed was updating road signs to be retroreflective in order to make them more clearly visible. The city’s Public Services Department is working to update all street signs throughout the city, but according to Gaillard it could be up to five more years before the project is complete.

Public Services Director Wayne Steele said the cost is more than $18 per street sign to bring each one up to the new retroreflectivity standards, nearly double the cost from only a few years ago.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: City talks address, road sign visibility