CRESTVIEW — Okaloosa County students' mock election results generally aligned with registered voters' decisions, according to the Supervisor of Elections website.

In county high school voting, Jeff Miller beat Jim Bryan for U.S. Congress, Rick Scott earned a second term as governor, and Pam Bondi outdistanced other attorney general hopefuls.

However, in the kids' vote, Joe Slusser took a substantial lead over Rodney Walker for Okaloosa County School Board, with 3,222 votes to the incumbent’s 1,613.

In the actual election, unofficial results indicate votes were so close a recount will be necessary.

High school voters overwhelmingly approved the medical marijuana amendment 3,672 to 1,256.

Though official “yes” votes topped “no’s,” it wasn’t by a sufficient margin to pass, proving a point elections officials try to make voters understand.

“Every vote counts every time,” said Bridget Richard Krebs, Supervisor of Elections voter education and public relations coordinator.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Supervisor of Elections: Junior voters', adults' decisions similar

CRESTVIEW — The City Council hasn't renewed the traffic impact fee waiver, which could expire as the year ends.

The fee, charged to developers, was eliminated in January 2013 after Gov. Rick Scott's executive order asked that communities cut it to spur economic growth.

Here are city officials and representatives' views on the issue:

•Council members Robyn Helt, Joe Blocker and Mickey Rytman support extending the waiver.

“I don't think it's coincidental we have seen this spike (in development) over the last couple years,” Helt said. Developers “tell me the traffic impact fee waiver is one of the major considerations in deciding to build their projects.”

•City Planner Eric Davis said the city has lost approximately $394,000 in fee revenue, but traffic impact fees weren't a major factor.

“The developers who come and deal with me, they have never told me that an impact fee has kept them from Crestview,” he said. Rather, "it was the overwhelming proportionate fair share fee."

Proportionate fair share, or “prop share,” was a "pay-as-you-grow" fee that helped fund public services associated with commercial growth. It died in September 2012 after the council amended the city’s comprehensive plan.

“The prop share was the fee that for five years killed any development on (Highway) 85 between 90 and the (Shoal) River,” Davis said.

•City attorney Jerry Miller has advised the council to end the waiver. Periodically extending it could expose the city to litigation if some businesses were exempt from the fee while others paid it, he said.

A decision to extend the waiver should be based on an independent expert's objective study, Miller said.

Atkins Engineering, which becomes the city’s traffic consultant in a month, could conduct such a study, city planner Eric Davis said.

•Councilman Tom Gordon said he would support renewing the fee waiver if a traffic engineering firm's independent study supports it.

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's traffic impact fee waiver may die by year's end

CRESTVIEW — The annual Main Street Christmas Parade will be safer this year thanks to the Community Redevelopment Agency Board’s unanimous approval Monday night of the purchase of an additional 870 feet of crowd control barricades.

The Main Street Crestview Association requested the extra barricades to complete the route from Courthouse Terrace to the parade route end at Cedar Avenue and Wilson Street.

The 100 new barricades will cost $9,375 and will supplement the 560 barriers already owned by the agency.

The original barricades, purchased in 2008, were meant to cover the Main Street parade route from the railroad tracks to the Wilson Street end.

“Since most of the parades start at Martin Luther King (Avenue), the barricades only stretch to about Courthouse Terrace,” Public Works Director Wayne Steele said.

“As our parades continue to grow, it's getting more and more dangerous at the end of the route,” Mayor David Cadle said.

Steele reminded the board that at last year’s Christmas parade, a boy was injured when he ran in front of a parade float on Cedar Avenue, which had no barricades.

The new barricades will be purchased from Inline Barricades of Diamondhead, Miss., the supplier of the city’s existing barriers. The $89 sections cost $3 more than in 2008, Steele said. The new units are expected to arrive in time for the Dec. 6 Christmas parade.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 100 additional barriers will protect entire downtown parade route

FORT WALTON BEACH — The Okaloosa County Tax Collector’s Office saved county motorists over $258,000 when they removed the motor vehicle registration’s two-year renewal option earlier this year.

On April 4, 2014, Governor Rick Scott signed a bill that would lower the cost of most vehicle registrations by up to $25 per year. While this was great news, it would not go into effect until Sept. 1.

This prompted Okaloosa County Tax Collector Ben Anderson to be the first Tax Collector to remove the biennial option from vehicle renewals through August in an effort to prevent motorists from electing the 2nd year option at the higher rate. During those months, over 11,500 registrations were saved the extra expense for the second year registration.

Anderson says, “In Okaloosa County last year, 23,400 vehicles had biennial registrations. With the new, lower rate, there is a tangible savings, so we have reinstated the two-year renewal option. Now I am encouraging all motorists to take advantage of the biennial option. If owners choose to register their vehicle(s) for two years they will certainly save time and money.”

Anderson says, “It is our responsibility to be good stewards with resources and information. This is just another example of your Tax Collector’s Office working hard to save you money.”

Vehicle registrations can be processed online at www.OkaloosaTax.com or at any Okaloosa Tax Collector's Office branch.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Car registration renewal option saves Okaloosa drivers more than $258,000

CRESTVIEW — By a 3-1 vote, with Councilman Joe Blocker voting “nay,” the City Council approved having an outside vendor offer identity theft protection services to city employees.

During the Tuesday evening council meeting, Legal Shield representative Bob Hollingshead said it can take identity theft victims as much as 200 hours over six months to recover their identity and clear their credit ratings.

Hollingshead offered employees a discounted rate of $5.98 per pay period for the service, which workers would contract for directly with Hollingshead.

The service would not cost city taxpayers anything, Hollingshead said.

He said offering the service “reduces absenteeism and increases productivity” because workers who have had their identity stolen would not need to take time off to address the resultant legal and financial difficulties.

“It decreases employee stress because they now have access to an attorney,” Hollingshead said.

The contract would not allow employees to institute legal proceedings against the city.

When Councilman Tom Gordon’s motion to allow Legal Shield to give 15-minute presentations to city employees failed to garner a second, Council President Shannon Hayes passed the gavel to vice president Mickey Rytman and made the second.

The motion passed, with Blocker voting against it because he wanted department heads to first assess their employees’ feelings toward the service before giving approval to make the offer.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: City employees offered Legal Shield