LAUREL HILL — The City Council has tabled a motion to dissolve the city.

The dissolution issue will remain tabled until road overlaying and repaving projects — on New Ebenezer Road, 2nd Avenue and 4th Street — are completed, city officials said.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity in July awarded a $600,000 Community Development Block Grant to help fund the work, city officials said.

A council-appointed selection committee, including Mayor Robby Adams, Mary Bradberry and Kenneth Jackson, will score proposals for administrative and engineer positions in administering the grant, City Clerk Nita Miller said.

The project won't be completed for another 18 months, at least, city officials said.

And that's how long the dissolution issue will remain tabled.

 “We won’t do anything until we close the grant out,” Council President Larry Hendren said.

SIDEBAR

Talk of possibly turning Laurel Hill's control to Okaloosa County began two years ago, when residents expressed concerns over the city's poor roads. The City Council scheduled a town hall meeting to hear public input on the issue.

After addressing the roadways and almost receiving the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity's $600,000 Community Development Block Grant, the council voted to apply for the same grant in 2013.

It was the third consecutive year that the council applied for the grant. The city came close to receiving the grant in 2012, but a missing permit disqualified Laurel Hill.

City Councilman Larry Hendren previously stated that the council did not want to rush into placing a dissolution referendum on a ballot without exploring all other options, including the CDBG grant.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitteror call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LAUREL HILL: Dissolution issue tabled due to $600,000 grant

CRESTVIEW — State Rep. Matt Gaetz said his Okaloosa Accountability initiative will use residents’ input to drive the political process.

The goal is to "… cull ideas, with community input, and create by the end of the year a community agenda," said the Republican who serves District 4, which includes Crestview.

“We’ve been doing this for the past two years” since the Mark Bellinger scandal, Boyles said. The Tourism Development Council's former director committed suicide in May 2012 after misusing public money and property, according to county officials.

With the TDC's financial management being a top issue on AccountabilityOkaloosa.com, “nobody wants to endure any other scandals,” Gaetz said.

The county is already a step ahead, Boyles said.

“We’ve made complete top-to-bottom changes on the county accountability issue,” he said. “It’s been an incremental effort to restructure the way the county handles its finances.”

“I appreciate any assistance that anybody can provide to the continuing process of creating and maintaining the accountability of government at all levels,” Boyles said.

Contribute ideas for the initiative at www.accountabilityokaloosa.com and log in through Facebook, or call Gaetz's Shalimar office, 833-9328.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Commissioner: Government sought public input before Gaetz initiative (VIDEO)

LAUREL HILL — The city seeks proposals to execute a $600,000 grant for road repairs.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity in July awarded the funding, which will help repair New Ebenezer Road, 2nd Avenue and 4th Street, city officials said.

A council-appointed selection committee, including Mayor Robby Adams, Mary Bradberry and Kenneth Jackson, will score proposals for administrative and engineer positions in administering the grant, City Clerk Nita Miller said.

Committee members will send their results to the DEO for approval, Miller said.

The deadline to submit a proposal to the city is 4 p.m. Oct. 21.

Miller said she also will contact women and minority-owned businesses about the positions to follow grant guidelines.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill requests proposals for road repairs

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has approved the removal of up to 211,080 personal residential policies and 4,408 commercial residential and non-residential polices from Citizens Property Insurance Corporation as requested by the following nine companies:

•American Colonial Insurance Company – approved to remove up to 22,050 personal residential policies from the Personal Lines Account (PLA)

•Cypress Property & Casualty Insurance Company – approved to remove up to 23,000 personal residential policies ‒ 20,337 PLA and 2,663 from the Coastal Account (CA)

•Heritage Property & Casualty Insurance Company – approved to remove up to 20,000 personal residential policies (17,000 PLA/3,000 CA) and up to 600 commercial residential polices from the Commercial Lines Account (CLA) and CA

•Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Insurance Company – approved to remove up to 69,000 personal residential policies (24,150 PLA/44,850 CA)

•Mount Beacon Insurance Company – approved to remove up to 29,515 personal residential policies (19,515 PLA/10,000 CA)

•Olympus Insurance Company – approved to remove up to 10,000 personal residential policies (7,793 PLA/2,207 CA)

•Safepoint Insurance Company – approved to remove up to 18,000 personal residential policies (15,000 PLA/3,000 CA)

•United Property & Casualty Insurance Company – approved to remove up to 2,027 commercial residential policies (1,824 CLA/203 CA)

•Weston Insurance Company – approved to remove up to 19,515 personal residential policies in the CA and up to 1,781 commercial residential and non-residential policies in the CA.

Citizen’s PLAs and CLAs are mostly non-coastal properties and the Coastal Account are coastal properties. The take-out periods are Dec. 16, 2014 for personal residential impacting both the PLA/CA policies and Dec. 9, 2014 for commercial residential impacting both the CLA/CA policies. This is part of the state’s ongoing effort to reduce the number of policies in state-created Citizens and transfer them to the private insurance market.

Today’s announcement brings the total number of policies approved for take-outs this year to 1,109,644. The actual number of policies removed from Citizens this year as of Aug. 30 is 124,995. By statute, policy holders may choose to continue their Citizens coverage; however, they may be at risk of higher assessments.

For more information, visit the FOIR “Take-Out Companies” webpage.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: State insurance regulator approves removal of 215,488 policies from Citizens

Okaloosa County Tax Collector Ben Anderson has earned a designation for excellence in financial operations.

“The Legacy Award is one of the highest achievements the Florida Tax Collector’s Association can award a local Tax Collector,” said Florida Tax Collectors Inc. Past-President Diane Nelson of Pinellas County. “The judging process was arduous and included a detailed review of the financial functions of the Tax Collector’s Office. I am very proud to say that Mr. Anderson has earned the designation. He represents the very top echelon of elected officials.”

A judging panel performed a detailed review of the tax collector’s financial records, practices and technology use in considering Anderson for the honor.

Last year, Anderson earned the Excellence in Financial Operations Award after demonstrating proficiency in innovation and automation; a perfect annual audit report; customer Focus; and budgeting.

For the 2014 Legacy Award, Anderson demonstrated that the office had further enhanced its financial operations.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa tax collector earns Award for Excellence

CRESTVIEW — Four City Council members and Mayor David Cadle will not attend Rep. Matt Gaetz's Sept. 30 town hall meeting on government accountability.

Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, recently established the Okaloosa Accountability Initiative, which creates partnerships among local elected officials. The effort includes a series of five public meetings, beginning Tuesday; creating a community-driven agenda; and setting up a website where residents can share ideas.

City attorney Jerry Miller cautioned the council about a potential sunshine law violation. He suggested that city leaders appoint a representative to attend the meeting.

“I don’t think that it's a problem that someone would go and at least demonstrate that you’re interested in hearing what it is that they have to say,” Councilwoman Robyn Helt said during Monday's city council meeting. “I don’t see the harm in sending someone. I just didn’t want everyone (on the city council) to show up and subject themselves to the sunshine issue.” 

Councilman Joe Blocker also wasn’t opposed to sending a representative.

However, he said, “I don’t think a council member should attend that meeting, period."

Still, city leaders did not formally appoint a representative.

Blocker, Helt and Council President Shannon Hayes were the only council members present for the meeting. Thomas Gordon and Mickey Rytman were absent.

On Thursday, Rytman offered no immediate response about attending Gaetz's meeting, but Gordon said he would be unable to attend after returning from an out-of-state trip next week.

Mayor David Cadle said he can't attend Gaetz's meeting because he will be out of town.  

Barbara Petersen, president of the First Amendment Foundation in Tallahassee, stated in an email that Florida's open meetings law applies to discussion of public business between two or more members of the same board or council.   

With sufficient notice to the public, Crestview council members could attend and participate in the meeting, she said.

"So the members of the city council could certainly attend the town hall meeting, but should refrain from participating or talking among themselves — that could be a sunshine violation." she stated.

Okaloosa County Sheriff Larry Ashley, Elections Supervisor Paul Lux, Okaloosa Schools Superintendant Mary Beth Jackson and Commissioners-Elect Carolyn Ketchel and Trey Goodwin are among those scheduled to attend Gaetz's meeting, which is 5:30-7 p.m. Sept. 30 at Niceville City Hall.

Elected officials from Fort Walton Beach, Mary Esther and Valparaiso reportedly will join them.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview officials opt out of attending Gaetz town hall meeting

CRESTVIEW — The City Council unanimously voted to adopt fiscal year 2015's millage rate and budget.

That includes a 5.8466 millage rate and a $29,078,286 budget, according to the approved resolution. One mill is $1 of tax per thousand dollars of taxable property value.

Neither the council nor the attending public offered objections during the meeting.

The city's fiscal year begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30, 2015. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Council OKs $29M budget, millage rate