March 1, 2010 Minutes Okaloosa County League of Cities

President Nick Chubb called the meeting to order at 11:59 p.m. at Two Trees Restaurant

MINUTES: December 7, 2009 and January 19, 2010. Mayor Anderson moved to approve the minutes of the December 7, 2009 meeting as written. The motion was seconded by Mayor Combs and passed unanimously. Councilman Baugh moved to approve the minutes of the January 19, 2010 meeting as written. The motion was seconded by Mayor Combs and passed unanimously.

TREASURER’S REPORT: $2192.89 after reimbursing Tina Smith $63.97 for December lunches and $70.00 for Division of Corporations renewal. Tina Smith also reported that the dues bills went out and all of the cities have paid except Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and Valparaiso. Mayor Anderson confirmed that the note (signed by the president) went out with Valparaiso’s bill.

- Fisheries Resolution Update (Mayor Barker) - President Nick Chubb noted that Mayor Barker was not present at the time this item came up. The board will address it when he arrives. Mayor Anderson reported that he did get a chance to speak with some of the fishermen and they were all impressed with the positive feedback they are receiving from everyone.

- Discussion about what do to with money in OCLOC account - The Board discussed what they may want to do with the money in the account. Mayor Anderson explained that the board paid his airfare to go to Washington and asked if they wanted him to represent them again this year. He also stated that Okaloosa County decided not to send anyone because the return on investment is not too good. There was some discussion about reducing each dues bill to $100 and give all of the cities a $50 break. Instead of sending all of the cities a refund check for $50, the board discussed taking $50 off of their bills next year (2011). Mayor Combs moved to give each of the 9 cities a $50 “credit” and they will only owe $100 on their 2011 dues. The motion was seconded by Mayor Anderson and passed unanimously.

- Offshore Drilling Discussion - Each city was instructed to discuss the offshore drilling resolution with their respective councils/commissions. The main point to the resolution is to ask for more studies before deciding to drill.

- Eglin Installation Growth Committee Update (Mayor Anderson) - According to HAAS, 90% of the growth will be in Okaloosa County. Mayor Anderson didn’t get specific about each city but informed everyone that the report is on the County web site.

- Amendment 4 Strategy (Mayor Anderson) - Mayor Anderson stated that this issue is already on the ballot but asked what sort of strategy each city was using to inform residents.

- Washington Delegation OCLOC Representative (Mayor Anderson) - This item was discussed under Old Business.

- Web Contract Renewal (April 1, 2010-March 31, 2011) - Mayor Anderson moved to approve the contract renewal. The motion was seconded by Councilman Baugh and passed unanimously.

We received a CDBG Commercial Revitalization Grant in 2007. The scope of work for the project is to relocate utilities to underground along the Eglin corridor from Hughes Street to the Cinco Bayou bridge. There will also be decorative lighting and pavers similar to the Update Town Station decor. The project will be done in two phases. We are currently working on phase I. It has been a long process with acquiring permits, easements etc. We have 2 more easements to acquire and then we will be ready to go out for bids. We are hoping to do that within the next month.

- The future home of the Florida A&M University Pharmacy school is cleaned up and will hopefully be ready by August 2012. Also, Troy University has a campus in Crestview.

- Looking to build a skate park in the town and modeling it after Niceville’s.

Eglin AFB - Hometown Heroes Annual Awards, Change of Command, and Airshow are all coming up in the next month.

Fort Walton Beach - The Council will need replacements for up to 3 Councilman and on April 13, Councilman Garvey will have to step down to run for State Representative.

The City of Laurel Hill has stabilized the workforce and has moved to a position of positive cash flow. Water account reserves continue to increase and the general fund has also gained reserve funds.

The number one problem is road surfaces and storm water run-off. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has worked with the City to solve a severe road washout and proffered 75% of the cost of the project. Three other projects will soon be undertaken on this same program.

Darryl Williams of NRCS is a valuable ally in seeking federal funds for such projects. The City will seek CDBG to solve road issues.

Very little is going on in Shalimar other than Town Manager Tom Burns being sick. Please visit www.shalimarflorida.org and click on the link to view his updates. The town went out for repaving bids. The low bidder was CW Roberts at around $75/ton. Also, Shalimar is still working on the storage lot with a few resident opposition.

________________________________________		__June 7, 2010_________________
Tina Smith, Secretary		Date Approved

Okaloosa County League of Cities, Inc.

Executive Board Meeting

Minutes