CALL TO ORDER

President, Mayor Mike Anderson , called the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m. at Two Trees Restaurant in Fort Walton Beach .

PRESENT BOARD MEMBERS

Mayor Mike Anderson – Fort Walton Beach (President)

Commissioner Heyward Strong – Valparaiso ( Vic e President)

Mayor Gary Combs – Shalimar (Secretary/Treasurer)

Councilman Ellis Conner – Crestview

Mayor Craig Barker – Destin

Councilwoman Fay Miller – Laurel Hill

Mayor Randall Wise – Niceville

ALSO PRESENT

Chip Hunt – Eglin A.F.B.

Tina Smith – Shalimar

NOT PRESENT

Cinco Bayou

Mary Esther

MINUTES

Mayor Combs moved to approve the minutes of the December 5, 2005 meeting as written.  Commissioner Strong seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

TREASURER’S REPORT:  $633.03 after paying $72.26 for December lunches.  The bills for the 2005 and 2006 dues and lunches went out at the beginning of January.  Councilman Conner moved to approve the treasurer’s report.  Commissioner Strong seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

-  Affordable Housing Symposium update (invitation attached) – Mayor Anderson requested that each municipality send someone to the symposium.  It will be all day on 1 February at the Conference Center .  Representative Benson will also be holding a similar symposium in Santa Rosa County on January 18.

-  Proposed Sales tax update – Commissioner Strong has the final copy of the letter for the mayors in attendance to sign.  He will hand carry it to those mayors that aren’t present at the lunch meeting and, once it’s signed by all of the mayors that are going to sign it, he will deliver the letter to the Board of County Commissioners.  Once the county receives the letter, a meeting between the County and the League will be set up.  Mayor Combs moved that Mayor Anderson and Commissioner Strong attend the meeting with the county as representatives of the League.  Mayor Barker seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.  It was suggested that Mayor Anderson and Commissioner Strong discuss with the county whatever grassroots efforts are being talked about - what methods the county plans on using to get the information out to the voters.

NEW BUSINESS:

-  July and September meeting dates – The July 3 meeting and September 4 meetings were pushed back a week to July 10 and September 11.

-  Member Recognition Program – Mayor Barker moved that the league provides a plaque to the outgoing members who will not be a part of the OCLOC and have held presidential position in the organization and invite them to the dinner.  Commissioner Strong seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

-  Executive Board Alternates – Mayor Anderson asked that each city appoint an Executive Board alternate.  4 of the cities have elections in March so everyone will wait and give the name and e-mail address of their alternate to the secretary after the elections.

Mayor Combs briefed that Shalimar is hosting the next Quarterly dinner.  It will be at the Officers’ Club and Valentine’s Day-themed.

Mayor Combs asked that any city with a written hurricane cleanup/preparedness schedule to e-mail it to Tina Smith .

ANNOUNCEMENTS/REPORTS FROM CITIES:

Cinco Bayou – No one from Cinco Bayou was present.

Crestview

·         Strategic Planning Meeting scheduled - Transportation issues are the main priority this year

·         Plan to double the capacity on the Wastewater Treatment Plant from 2.1 to 4.5

·         The steel was delivered this morning for a new building

·         Moving ahead with the potable water distribution system

Destin – attached

Also, the city broke ground on a Town Center on December 15 with a completion date of June 1.

Eglin AFB

The base just kicked off a Site Survey which includes approximately 150+ contractors, government employees, etc. that are here researching what the military is going to do with all of the additional people that will be here starting in 2009 due to the BRAC.

Fort Walton Beach

·        The City will hold an all-day Strategic Planning Session on January 21^st to determine the City’s direction over the next several years – this is the third year for the planning session, which integrates the shared vision of City officials and citizens into the City’s programs and services, and translates the priorities into the annual budget process.

·        Work to build a 750,000-gallon tank at the FWB Golf Club and a 500,000-gallon water tank on Hughes and Nicholson St. continues.  The bases of both tanks have been constructed, and the bowl of the Golf Club tank is about half-way complete.  Once constructed, the existing tanks will be dismantled.

·        In mid-January, the City’s contractor will move Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum and Garniers Post Office Museum, currently located on First Street, to property on the west side of the Indian Temple Mound site.  Once the move occurs, all three City museums will be at the same location.

·        A proposed Archaeological and Historical Preservation Ordinance has been approved by the City’s Historic Sites and Structures Advisory Board and is expected to be on the City Council agenda in February.

Hurlburt Field – No one from Hurlburt was present.

Laurel Hill – Got a contractor to build new PAWS facility.

Mary Esther – No one from Mary Esther was present.

Niceville – Found that the cost for their building expansion went up by about 1/3.

Okaloosa County – No one from Okaloosa County was present.

Shalimar

·        The hotel is on track for a mid-2006 Grand Opening.

·        Shalimar Yacht Basin continues to pursue plans to construct up to 120 condominiums along with commercial enterprises.

·        Police Department ’55 Chevy vehicle is fully operational and on the road.

·        Town has contract with local engineering firm to evaluate causes & potential solutions to several Town “specific area” storm water flooding issues.

·        The January OCTC Quarterly Dinner planning

Valparaiso

·         Painting the water tank

·         The engineer got on the water tank contract and got the tank up in a little over 3 weeks

·         Finished the City Hall chambers

·         Trying to get parks up to date

·         There will be a library vote on the ballot in March

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

-  February 1, 2006 -- Quarterly Dinner Meeting - 6:00 p.m.

-  February 6, 2006 -- Executive Board Meeting - 12:00 noon

If you have any ideas for the agenda, please e-mail Tina.

ADJOURN – The meeting adjourned at 1:00 .