CRESTVIEW — The Community Redevelopment Agency unanimously approved an $11,000 allocation for a Fourth of July fireworks display over the city.

No bids were received after the Public Works department advertised for vendors, city clerk Betsy Roy said.

"We advertised but nobody responded so we had to go out and seek bids," assistant Public Works director Carlos Jones said.

The department contacted neighboring municipalities for recommendations, Jones and Roy said.

The city then received bids from Tallahassee-based Ashley Pyrotechnics, which had produced last year's Crestview display, and Pyro Shows, a LaFollette, Tenn., company.

Ashley also offered a 28-30-minute show for $16,000, but with $11,000 budgeted for the performance, board members were not interested in spending more.

"A 15- to 20-minute show — that's enough show," board member Joe Blocker said. "I recommend we stick with the $11,000."

Roy reminded the council that Ashley "was very easy to work with" in the past, when the city's fireworks show had to be postponed due to inclement weather.

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

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Fireworks bid approved for Crestview display

CRESTVIEW — No strip clubs will be allowed on Main Street, city officials said. 

That's clear following discussion that preceded the City Council's unanimous vote to send a downtown rezoning proposal to the state Land Planning Agency for approval. 

Click here for a map of proposed downtown rezoning>>

Consultant Jack Dorman has advised city officials in creating a “downtown mixed-use” zoning category, replacing current commercial zoning. The new zone would permit both residential and commercial activities downtown.

Before Monday's vote, Dorman requested formally including a description of activities to be encouraged downtown, including retail, office, restaurants, governmental and entertainment.

City Council members raised concerns that what was meant to encourage family-friendly entertainment “could be sidelined into something else."

“What are implications of adding ‘entertainment’”? Councilwoman Robyn Helt asked. “Could it be a strip club?”

Though Dorman said the word could be interpreted that way, Theresa Gaylord of the Local Planning Agency said city regulations already define what types of entertainment are allowable downtown.

DOWNTOWN NIGHTLIFE

Allowing residential units will encourage a vibrant downtown after the current 5 p.m. daily “shutdown,” Dorman said.

“Once residential development occurs in this area, the new residents are expected to create demand for more services and businesses and thereby allow for the profitable expansion of business hours downtown,” Dorman’s report states.

A major source of downtown residents will be the Florida A&M University pharmacy school. Its students and staff have difficulty finding safe accommodations close to the school’s Alatex Building home, city officials have said.

An April workshop on the proposed rezoning drew more than 40 downtown business and property owners and their “unanimous endorsement of the effort we are trying to accomplish,” Dorman said. “Not one single objection was raised.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Downtown Crestview rezoning proposal goes to state; no strip clubs, city leaders say

CRESTVIEW — With a 3-2 vote, the City Council approved funding expenses for any interested council member to attend the Florida League of Cities conference in Hollywood.

Council members Robyn Helt and Thomas Gordon opposed the measure, with Helt protesting “the approval of non-budgeted expenditures.”

City Clerk Betsy Roy estimated the cost to attend the Aug. 14-16 event, including staying at the Westin Diplomat conference hotel and $620 mileage reimbursement, would be $1,700 per person.

Councilman Joe Blocker, however, felt Roy’s estimate was low and actual costs to city taxpayers would be closer to $2,000 per attendee.

Helt criticized council members who favored the proposal, saying, “Every council member sitting on the dais today had the opportunity to request a budget” item for conference travel.

“To bring forward (an) item that could potentially cost $2,000 per council member is not in the best interests of the citizens,” Helt said. “If I elect to go, I would not feel comfortable asking the citizens to pay for it.”

Valuable information

Council President Shannon Hayes and Blocker, who attended last year’s League of Cities conference, said the information and networking opportunities gleaned at the event are invaluable.

“There can't be a price put on knowledge,” Hayes said, adding residents he has spoken to favor city representation at the conference.

Helt disputed the assertion, noting social media backlash when the council approved buying an unbudgeted ad in the conference program, with Helt and Gordon again dissenting.

“If we got in touch with those citizens, we would see they are not so happy-go-lucky when it comes to expending money on non-budgeted items,” she said.

Helt also asked if any of the councilmen who favored attending the conference had considered applying for Florida League of Cities scholarships that could defray the cost to taxpayers. None had.

“I would hope that before asking the citizens for money for something that was not budgeted, they would research this,” Helt 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: Council OKs unbudgeted conference travel; Helt and Gordon vote nay

FORT WALTON BEACH — County commissioners will discuss a proposal to increase the local sales tax during their June 17 meeting in Fort Walton Beach.

Commissioner Dave Parisot has urged the board to place a 1 cent tax hike on the November general election ballot for approval by local voters. The increase would generate more money for storm water and drainage improvements.

Other commissioners, including Wayne Harris and Nathan Boyles, said they want to move more slowly, and suggested pushing the referendum to the spring of 2015 to coincide with the next municipal elections. Commissioner Don Amunds said he was “leery of trying to cram” the referendum into the 90 days it would take to place it on the November ballot.

Parisot said moving the referendum to 2015 could cost the county as much as $100,000 because municipal elections don’t use as many polling places as countywide general elections and will require paying to open more.

The sales tax hike would provide an estimated $32.6 million in additional revenue, with about $21.8 million going to the county and about $10.8 million to be divided among the nine cities and towns.

Under Parisot’s proposal, the county and its nine municipalities would agree to offset the increase with a reduction of property tax rates if the referendum passes.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: County commissioners weigh in on proposed sales tax hike