CALL TO ORDER

Mayor Thomas called the meeting to order at 12:02 p.m. at Two Trees Restaurant in Fort Walton Beach

PRESENT

Councilman Dutch Payne - Cinco Bayou

Councilwoman Brenda Bush - Crestview

Mayor Craig Barker - Destin

Mayor Glenda Glover - Fort Walton Beach (Secretary/Treasurer)

Mayor John Thomas - Mary Esther (President)

Mayor Gary Combs - Shalimar

Commissioner Heyward Strong - Valparaiso

County Commissioner Elaine Tucker - Okaloosa County

ALSO PRESENT

Tina Smith, Deputy Town Clerk - Shalimar

NOT PRESENT

Councilwoman Fay Miller - Laurel Hill

Councilman Al Swihart - Niceville

MINUTES

Mayor John Thomas stated that the board would accept the minutes of the August 4, 2003 Executive Board Meeting as written.

TREASURER’S REPORT

Mayor Glover gave the Treasurer’s Report as follows: The balance as of August 31, 2003 is $2,597.88. One check has been written to Two Trees for lunches.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

HB133 update – Commissioner Strong reported that he spoke with Representative Ray Sansom regarding this issue, but Representative Sansom is still backing the bill supporting extra benefits. As HB133 has not yet passed, he said that the league will just have to continue to fight it.

OCLOC Logo – Commissioner Dutch Payne stated that Cinco Bayou’s clerk, Monika Gillette, is working on the logo but her computer crashed and she is spending her time now trying to replace all of her lost data. He will bring the updated logo and some other ideas to the October meeting along with a sample from Stitch FX. Commissioner Payne suggested using Stitch FX for the shirts once the logo is agreed upon.

Clean Water Project – Mayor Barker informed the board that the committee did meet last month but they have not come to a conclusion regarding the funding for the pump-out stations. Everyone has agreed that this project should be everyone’s concern and that the funding source should pay for the project wholly so that nothing will need to be subsidized by the county budget. Mayor Barker has his grant writers doing research, and he has had tremendous support from the state.

NEW BUSINESS:

Minutes from July 7, 2003 (see attached) – It was agreed upon by the board to amend the minutes from last month to include the word “adjacent” under Cinco Bayou’s report.

OCLOC Dinner meeting special guests’ dinner fees – Commissioner Heyward Strong explained that there was a little bit of confusion about special guests that have been invited to attend the quarterly dinner by the Okaloosa County League of Cities (OCLOC). Commissioner Strong feels that if the League invites someone special it would be proper that the league pay for them. The league agreed with Commissioner Strong and, in the future, the OCLOC will pay for all special guests that have been invited by them.

Commissioner Elaine Tucker stated that she spoke with Bill Thornton (from Eglin Public Affairs) about his becoming the Eglin representative. He doesn’t feel that he is the best person to represent Eglin but the league disagreed. Mayor Barker moved that the President of the Okaloosa County League of Cities (Mayor John Thomas) write a letter to Mr. Thornton expressing our interest in him becoming the representative. Councilmember Brenda Bush seconded the motion and it carried unanimously. After some discussion, Mayor Barker amended his motion moving that the president of the OCLOC write a letter to Mr. Thornton’s boss (the General).

Mayor Barker suggested that Colin Lipnicky (the interim editor for the Northwest Florida Daily News) be invited to the upcoming quarterly dinner so there is someone at the dinner from the press that will see the cities’ positions on the encroachment issue. The board agreed.

Yellow River Reservoir Update – The board received their presentation from Don Griffin and Johnny Johnson who are proponents of the Yellow River Dam. They briefed that the wells are drying up, the area is becoming more populated and they feel this is the best solution to sustain the water needs of the future.

After the presentation, Mayor Gary Combs suggested posting some of the League’s views on the web site. Commissioner Strong felt that factual information about certain issues could be added to the site but he doesn’t feel comfortable giving views without the backing of his board. Mayor Thomas agreed with Commissioner Strong.

ANNOUNCEMENTS/REPORTS FROM CITIES

Cinco Bayou – The Town of Cinco Bayou has started work on their Glenwood Park recovery program in conjunction with their FRDAP grant. Some of the older trees that suffered saltwater intrusion had to be removed. Councilmember Payne believes there will be a big improvement in Cinco Bayou’s Park.

Crestview – Councilmember Bush reported that their Chamber Breakfast meeting continues to outgrow the space which it is held. It has now moved to the Recreation Outreach Center which is directly behind Central Baptist Church on Ferdon Blvd. Crestview’s Administrative Assistant retired and the city’s Planning Director, Brenda Crosson, is his interim replacement. Crestview will be hosting a Bass Masters Competition on September 20 at Old Spanish Trail Park from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. This competition to be CastingKids and presented by Twin Rivers BASS Club is an initiative to familiarize children with fishing.

Destin – Mayor Barker stated that the first of 2 budget hearings is tomorrow night. Also, Destin has fast-tracked their City Manager search by hiring a private consultant. The Destin Seafood Festival will be October 3-5 next to the Destin City Hall.

Fort Walton Beach – Mayor Glover reported that they are “moving right along”.

Laurel Hill – The Laurel Hill Representative was not in attendance.

Mary Esther – Mary Esther is having a public meeting and budget workshop tomorrow night. There are no large changes to their budget. They are going to increase their water bill and, possibly, increase their millage rate.

Niceville – The Niceville Representative was not in attendance.

Shalimar – Mayor Combs informed the board that the construction along Eglin Pkwy. was Stormwater management paid for with the cities’ taxes.

Valparaiso – Valparaiso started their first paving project with the money they will receive from the fuel tax. The City is looking at raising their millage rate from 3.99 to 4.99 mils to give their employees raises. The lease/purchase program that the league offered was a lifesaver allowing the city to purchase a fire truck, sanitation truck, 2 police cars and police department upgrades. The new tenant has moved into their old Chamber building and all rent money will be designated for upgrading the city’s parks.

Okaloosa County – The county’s final budget hearings will be on September 4 at 6:00 in Crestview and on September 16 at 6:00 in Fort Walton Beach. Commissioner Tucker also reminded everyone that the Okaloosa Saves Kick-off is on September 17.

NEXT MEETING

The next scheduled meeting will be held on Monday, October 6, 2003 at 12:00 p.m.

ADJOURN

Being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 1:31 p.m.