Pint Size Polkas At This Week’s Library Summer Reading Program
June 11, 2019
Summer Reading Club 2019 “A Universe of Stories” is underway through Saturday, Aug. 2 at all West Florida Public Libraries locations.
This week, it’s the Pint Size Polkas with a chance to discover all the good, clean fun that can be had with polka music.
The schedule is as follows:
- Tuesday, June 11, 3 p.m. Tryon Branch Library
- Wednesday, June 12, 11 a.m. – Century Branch Library
- Wednesday, June 12, 3 p.m. – Pensacola Library
- Thursday, June 13, 11 a.m. – Molino Branch Library
- Friday, June 14, 11 a.m. – Tryon Branch Library
Live In This Part Of Cantonment? There’s A Free Neighborhood Cleanup Next Month
June 11, 2019
Residents in part of Cantonment area will have the opportunity to dispose of yard debris and other items free of charge Wednesday, July 17 during the Cantonment Neighborhood Cleanup in District 5. Only residents in the designated cleanup area are able to participate in the neighborhood cleanup. Items left at the curb outside of the cleanup area will not be collected. The general cleanup area is south of Well Line Road, north of Heaton Road, east of Highway 95 and Vircent, and West of Nowak Street. (Click map above to enlarge.)
During neighborhood cleanups, Escambia County departments team up to bring services to residents in an effort to keep local neighborhoods clean and safe. Participating is easy; residents in the cleanup area simply leave eligible items at the curb to be disposed of free of charge by Escambia County and partnering agencies.
All debris must be at the curb directly in front of your residence by 7 a.m. on the day of the cleanup. Please keep tires and paint cans separate from all other debris. Do not place piles under low-hanging lines or near poles, fences or mailboxes.
Items eligible for removal include:
Household appliances and electronics
Yard waste
Household junk and debris
Bicycles and toys
Old furniture and mattresses
Barbecue grills
Household hazardous waste (old paint, motor oil, chemicals, batteries)
Tires (limit 10 per household)
Items NOT eligible for removal include:
Building materials (concrete, bricks, blocks, roofing, drywall or lumber)
Explosives or ammunition
Auto parts
Dirt or sod
Vehicles or vessels
55-gallon drums of fluids
The neighborhood cleanup initiative involves an aggressive clean-up effort, targeting different neighborhoods throughout the county, with crew members and volunteers picking up a variety of debris and waste, including electronics, furniture and household items.
Since 2016, more than 1,885 tons (3,771,120 pounds) of debris were collected and disposed of through the Community Redevelopment Agency’s Safe Neighborhood Program.
Bratt Elementary Collects 65 Pounds Of Pop Tabs For Ronald McDonald House
June 11, 2019
The students at Bratt Elementary School collected 65 pounds of pop tabs -those little pull tabs off the tops of aluminum drink cans — to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Northwest Florida.
The school collected 65 pounds, or about 82,355 tabs.
The money from recycling the tabs are used by the Ronald McDonald House to help pay their water bill.
Pictured: Bratt Elementary school secretary Heather Roley and her daughter Makinzi (pictured) dropped off the school’s 65 pound pop tab donation at the Ronald McDonald House. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Schools Appointing New Principal, Assistant Principals At Northview, Ernest Ward, Pine Forest
June 11, 2019
The Escambia County School District is making administrative appointments including a new principal at assistant principals.
The school board is expected to approve the following appointments at their June 17 meeting:
– Michael Sherrill from assistant principal at George Stone Technical College to principal at Northview High
– Tyvanna Boulanger from teacher/instructional coach at Bellview Middle to assistant principal Ernest Ward Middle
– Michael Burton from teacher at Workman Middle to coordinator IB program at Workman Middle
– David Joiner from teacher at Success Academy to assistant principal at Success Academy
– Emily King from teacher/literacy coach at Pine Forest High to assistant principal at Pine Forest High
The Escambia County School Board will vote on the appointments as recommended by Superintendent Malcolm Thomas at the board’s June 18 meeting.
For an earlier NorthEscambia.com story about Michael “Mike” Sherrill’s appointment at Northview High School principal, click here.
Pictured: Mike Sherrill, the new principal at Northview High School. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Bullpen Struggles In Fourth Loss To Biloxi Shuckers
June 11, 2019
Three times Monday night, the Blue Wahoos grabbed a lead against the Biloxi Shuckers.
Each time, it wasn’t enough.
In what became their most difficult loss in this series, the Blue Wahoos’ bullpen was unable to maintain an edge, as Biloxi answered with eight runs in the middle innings for a 9-7 win before a crowd of 1,927 at MGM Park in Biloxi, Miss.
Their fourth consecutive loss dropped the Blue Wahoos (36-28) three games behind the first-place Shuckers (39-25) entering the final week of the Southern League South Division first half schedule. The teams conclude their pivotal five-game series Tuesday with a morning game at 10:35 a.m.
The Blue Wahoos then return to Pensacola for a five-game homestand, which begins Wednesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium against the Tennessee Smokies, while the Shuckers travel to Jackson, Tenn. for a series against the Jackson Generals.
But it’s now going to take a complete reversal of fortune for Pensacola’s hopes to win the first half race. They will either be two games back or trail by four games, depending on what happens Tuesday. Biloxi is 21-5 since mid-May.
Biloxi’s win Monday sealed a head-to-head tiebreaker edge should the teams finish with identical records. The Shuckers now lead the first half season series 8-6 with one game left between the teams. They took advantage of three Blue Wahoos errors and six walks, along with 12 hits Monday to increase their division lead.
Things started well Monday for the Blue Wahoos.
They were bolstered by the return of pitcher Griffin Jax, the Air Force Academy graduate, who was part of early season, starting rotation. Jax started his first game since May 16, prior to going on the injured list. He worked 2.2 innings, allowed two hits one run and had two strikeouts.
When he exited in the third inning, the Blue Wahoos had a 2-1 lead. The game started with the Blue Wahoos’ Jaylin Davis blasting a leadoff home run in the first. In the second inning, catcher Brian Navaretto hit a two-out double, scoring Caleb Hamilton, who had reached on a fielder’s choice play.
The Blue Wahoos went up 3-1 in the fourth inning when Navaretto drove in Randy Cesar on a one-out sacrifice fly. Cesar, who reached on a walk and moved to third on consecutive singles, was playing his first game for the Blue Wahoos since being summoned from Triple-A Rochester.
The Shuckers took the lead with a three-run fifth inning. Trent Grisham homered against Ames to lead off the inning. Jake Greenwood reached on a throwing error and Patrick Leonard singled. Weston Wilson hit an RBI single for the second run and the Blue Wahoos summoned Hackimer to replace Ames.
Hackimer gave up a pair of two-out walks to force in a third run.
In the sixth inning, the Blue Wahoos retook the lead on a two-out single by Michael Davis to score Jimmy Kerrigan and Cesar, both of whom reached without a hit. Kerrigan was hit by a pitch and Cesar walked.
The Shuckers answered with three more runs in the bottom of the inning when Grisham again homered to lead it off, then Dillon Thomas later had an RBI triple and Wilson hit a sacrifice fly to score Thomas.
Trailing 7-5, the Blue Wahoos tied the game when Travis Blakenhorn hit a two-run homer, scoring Davis who led off with a double. It was Blankenhorn’s 11 homer this season.
The Shuckers, however, came right back again, this time loading the bases against Clay with a pair of singles and intentional walk. Jake Gatewood’s two-run single proved decisive.
The Shuckers sealed the game with their top two closers.
Aaron Kurcz retired the Blue Wahoos in the eighth for his fifth hold. Southern League all-star reliever Nate Griep needed just 11 pitches to end the game in the ninth and rack up his 14th save.
Crash On Blue Angel Parkway Claims One Life
June 10, 2019
A two vehicle crash Monday morning on Blue Angel Parkway claimed the life of an Escambia County woman.
The Florida High Patrol said a southbound Ford Ranger driven by 20-year old Casey Robbirds of Pensacola crossed the centerline into the path of a Hyundai Santa Fe driven by 49-year old Donna Creel.
Creel passed away as the result of the crash. Her passenger, 21-year old Jana Creel, was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in critical condition. Robbirds was also transported to Sacred Heart in critical condition.
The FHP said any charges against Robbirds is pending the outcome of their continuing investigation.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
One Injury In Cantonment Wreck Involving A Loaded Church Bus
June 10, 2019
One person was injured in a wreck involving a loaded church bus in Cantonment Monday afternoon.
The injured person was the driver of a Buick Enclave that was apparently rear-ended by the church bus about 12:45 p.m. on Highway 29 near Tree Street, at International Paper. The adult male was transported to an area hospital with injuries that were not considered serious.
Two adults and about 17 juveniles on the church bus were not injured. The bus was from NorthLife Baptist Church in Wooster, Ohio.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Report: Century Is ‘Teetering On A Financial Cliff’ And Quick Action Is Needed To Rescue It
June 10, 2019
The Town of Century is “teetering on a financial cliff, and quick decisive action is needed to rescue it”, according to a report from an independent financial consultant retained by the Florida League of Cities at no cost to the town.
Bob Inzer has spent nearly 50 years in municipal finance, including 30 years with the City of Tallahassee.
Inzer’s “high level” review highlighted major recommendations that included new utility taxes to increase revenue, a charter review, an additional administrator, contract management or sale of the town’s water and gas systems, and asking for budgeting help from other local governments.
“The town is perilously close, if they do not already qualify, to falling under the State’s Financial Emergency Statute which can limit or take away some of the decision-making authority from the Town’s elected officials and vest it with an appointed oversight board,” Inzer wrote. “It is imperative that the Council and the Mayor quickly clarify their roles and responsibilities and commit to change. Failure of the Council and Mayor to “get on the same page” will greatly undermine trust in both them and the organization and likely make it impossible to address the difficult issues facing the Town. The Town no longer has the option of operating without financial accountability and oversight as it has in the past, and must move quickly to change its operations.”
HIGHLIGHTS OF INZER’S REPORT
Relationship Between Town Officials
“The working relationship between the mayor and council is hampering the town’s ability to respond. In my meetings, this was mentioned routinely and concern was expressed that the Grand Jury was correct that lack of trust and working relationships were a significant factor for staff and consultants. It has been my experience that this type of breakdown undermines the trust and support citizens have in their government. They become wary of any information coming from their government and not sure what to believe. It is critical for the Mayor and Council to get on the same page.”
He mentioned poor communications, the Sunshine Law, and a lack of understanding by the mayor and council in understand their roles and responsibilities, or appreciating those roles. He cited a lack of good staffing on issues brought before the council. Many issues are considered after oral presentations with no written backup or information.
“I believe that the Town would be well served by bringing in a facilitator/trainer experienced in local government operations that could work with the Council and Mayor to better understand each other’s roles and responsibilities and develop ground rules on how the Council and Mayor will interact and communicate in the future.”
Charter Review
The town has not had a charter review in nearly 40 years, and it appears to be a “bare bones” charger addressing a limited number of issues. Inzer recommended that the town “retain the services of an individual or institution familiar with Florida governmental structures to work with the Mayor and Commission in a comprehensive review of the Charter.”
Administrative/Financial Support
“The Grand Jury pointed out that there was a lack of accountability over employees and supervisors. The financial losses in the gas, water and wastewater funds speak directly to a lack of oversight and control. The fact that the Town is in its third year of substantive losses in its gas utility with total losses approaching half a million dollars demonstrates this lack of accountability and oversight.”
“While the Mayor is the chief executive officer responsible for the operation of the utilities, the Council approves the budget, and therefore some level of oversight therefore, both share to some extent, in allowing this problem to continue for this long.”
“The Town needs additional experienced administrative depth with a strong background in management and finance. A strong executive administrator would provide oversight that is lacking today; namely, employee accountability, coordination among department directors, and better staffing of the Council on problems, solutions, implementation schedules and on-going monitoring of Town activities. I do not want to underestimate the difficulty of finding an individual with this experience and skills, particularly given Century’s proximity to any major urban area. Therefore, it may take some time to find the right individual, but is critical to the Town’s future success.”
Gas Utility
“The gas utility appears to have been poorly managed for a long time….Most gas systems operate with losses of around two to three percent. Century’s losses have run as high as 50 percent. The faulty meter at the prison is a major part of the problem but it is not all of the problem. Even before the meter at the prison was broken, losses on the system were running between 10 percent and 14 percent, or three to five times the industry norms. In discussions with the gas superintendent, he indicated that he had run checks on the system and there did not appear to be any significant leakage. Therefore, the unaccounted-for losses most likely relate to customers with dead meters, no meters or meters not properly calibrated. It is also my understanding that since the articles about the gas utility have appeared in the local press, many customers have called the town and self-reported that they are receiving gas and they have not been billed for.”
“Continue to support the operational changes being implemented by the gas superintendent. The Town should pursue all available avenues for collection of the previously unbilled gas. The Town should aggressively consider either selling the system or entering into an operating agreement with a company to manage the system.”
Water and Wastewater Utility
“The Town operates a water and wastewater utility system that serves all of the customers within the Town and certain customers within the franchise area outside of the Town limits. Both of these systems are very small, with the prison being their largest customer. The system lost $312,737 in FY2016 and $221,810 in FY 2017.”
“Audited financials are not available for FY2018 but losses in the prior two years of over $500,000 cannot be sustained. Cash and investments in the system declined from $677,852 to $156,677.”
Inzer also noted that the town may need to spend $1 million over the next several years to rebuild sewage lift stations.
“The Town should aggressively consider all options including sale or contract management of the systems. It is clear that the Town has not operated the system in an efficient manner nor has made the reinvestments in the system to keep in good operating condition. The Town should also examine every connection to see if a bill is being rendered and also see if the meter is properly calibrated.”
Operational Efficiency
“The Council is responsible for determining which services to provide and at what overall service level. The Council does this with input from the Mayor and affirms its decision through the budget process. Every municipality is different in their priorities and how they choose to allocate limited resources. There is no right or wrong answer; it is subjective based upon perception of the needs and wants of the community. Once these decisions are made, the objective should be to provide those services as efficiently as possible. Said another way, the goal is to try to provide the highest level of services at the lowest possible costs.”
“The Town of Century has 1,500 residents and approximately 20 employees. No other city/town in Escambia County or Santa Rosa County operates four utilities. Managing four utilities stretches employee resources very thin and does not allow any depth when an employee leaves or is out of the office. Each of these systems is very small (gas, 509; water, 816; wastewater, 689; and sanitation, 524 estimated). Each of these systems operates under certain state and federal rules and regulations that the Town must know, monitor and comply.
“Each of these systems are very small are not able to enjoy any of the economies of scale that come with larger operations. Secondly, the Council and Mayor may be spending much of their time monitoring and trying to manage systems that take away from providing other general government services. The most efficient way of providing these services may not be through direct ownership or control but under a contract or possible sale of the systems.”
“A prior recommendation was to retain additional administrative/financial expertise. The acquisition of good talent may be able to provide the monitoring and depth currently missing. This individual should be able to provide the oversight but can only make marginal differences in efficiency given the size of the systems. The Town should consider either contract management for some of these functions with a public or private operator or possibly sale of the systems. Contracting all utility operations may eliminate the need for the additional administrative position. However, continued control over all utility operations makes filling this position an imperative.”
Budgeting
“During the past couple of years, the gas system and the water and wastewater systems had expenditures greatly exceeding revenues. Luckily the water and wastewater systems had significant cash balances that allowed the town to get through this very difficult period. The gas system was transferring money in from the sanitation fund and the water fund to cover expenditures. I could find no action during the year, where the Mayor agendaed or the Council acted to amend the budget to keep it balanced.”
“The budget format is not easily understandable. The general government budget is a continuous string of object codes with no breakdowns by departments or divisions. There is no budget message that accompanies the budget that addresses changes in services, why expenditures or revenues are increasing or decreasing, changes in rates for services, and what goals the Council is trying to achieve. The budget document should be one of the primary communication tools with citizens to keep them informed. Citizens should be able to read the budget message and have an understanding of what the Town is trying to accomplish with the financial resources their citizens are providing.”
“Budgets should be a tool for both the management, the Council and the Mayor. Clearly, in the past several years, while the Town has been bleeding red ink, a detailed budget should have been presented at each Council meeting and an in-depth discussion should have taken place about how to stem this flow. I could not find where any regular discussion of the Town’s financial situation took place in the minutes I read.”
“The overall financial health of the institution is the responsibility of both the Mayor and Council. It does not appear that either has adequately assumed that responsibility.”
“The Town should contact the City of Pensacola or Escambia County and ask for assistance in revamping its budget process. Both of these governments are close by and have the resources and sophistication to assist. This should not only include the development of the annual budget, but also a monthly budget review of revenues, expenditure, activity and reserves.”
Policies and Procedures
“The only written policy Century has is its employee handbook and it appears very dated and insufficient to insure the desired employee behavior. There were no financial management policies, procedures or handbooks guiding employees on purchasing, utility billing, bad debt write-offs, discontinuance of service for delinquent accounts, investments, banking, or any other financial activity. While I did not ask, it is my assumption that within the operating departments there are few if any written policies or procedures. Some of the problems the Town has experienced associated with overdrafts, failure to pay taxes timely, unbilled utility accounts, etc., could have been avoided had there been written procedures.”
“I believe the Town will need outside assistance to develop the appropriate policies and procedures for the organization. I believe this should be undertaken after the hiring of the aforementioned professional managerial/financial support recommended in Section 8. Developing policies and procedures without the necessary managerial/administrative oversight to follow up and ensure compliance could result in any adopted policies being put on a shelf and not used.”
Special Revenue Fund Balances
“The Town receives infrastructure half-cent shared sales taxes and gas tax revenues. These funds are restricted by the State as to usage. It appears that the Town has deposited these funds into a special revenue fund for a very long time. Expenditures that would have qualified for usage were recorded in the general fund and an interfund loan created. Over time, this grew to approximately $4 million.”
“The auditors identified this as a problem and in 2017 the Town reviewed expenditures in the prior five years and were able to demonstrate that during this time, approximately $1.4 million was spent on qualifying expenditures. An adjustment was made and the interfund loan reduced to $2.7 million.”
“…The Town also elected in 2019 to adopt a policy that would begin repayment of the interfund loan in the amount of $300 per month.”
“The fact that this activity was allowed to continue without correction for a very long period of time is very concerning. The prior auditors should have brought this to the attention of the Mayor and Council for corrective action many years ago and draws into question the quality of their work. Any cursory review by the Council, Mayor or the Financial Consultant should also have questioned the appropriateness of having an unassigned fund balance of $4.340 million in the general fund.”
“The Town should continue to review past expenditures to determine which qualify for use of these restricted funds and making the appropriate adjustments. The Town Council and Mayor must take a more active role in reviewing the Town’s finances. It is clear that this process began well before the current administration, but it has been allowed to continue. The Town should move quickly to hire a manager/finance person (see section #6) that has the education and training to monitor the Town’s financial statements and advise the Mayor and Council accordingly.”
Diversifying General Government Revenues
The Town’s tax base is extremely weak and the ad valorem tax revenues provides little in the way of resources to fund general government functions. The Town is fortunate to have significant funding from the Capital Trust Agency; however, this revenue stream is volatile and uncontrollable. Transfers from municipally controlled utilities are a source many local governments use to subsidize their general government, but given the deferred maintenance requirements of the utilities, they may not be a source or a number of years. The Town should explore additional revenue sources to provide the resources to repay the Special Revenue Fund, repay any other borrowings from other funds and build up a reserve in the General Fund.”
“The Town should consider the imposition of a utility tax on electric, gas and water services. This is a tax that is levied by almost every City in the State of Florida and is a stable source of revenue to support general government services.”
Audits
“The Town has been late with getting its annual audit completed for at least the last two years. By this time, most local governments are completing their audit and Century has not begun. In discussions with the auditors, they are not sure that they will be engaged this year as they have had so many problems in past years.”
“The Mayor or President of the Council should meet with the auditors as soon as possible and enter into an engagement letter. The audit is the only clear communication of the Town’s financial condition to bondholders, state agencies and the general public. The Grand Jury report has brought into question the continued viability of the Town, and quickly moving forward with the audit, would provide both the Council, Mayor and outside agencies a clearer picture of the Town’s financial condition. There should also be a meeting between the auditor and the financial consultant to review last year’s finding and reach agreement.”
The Century Town Council is set to meet with Inzer at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to discuss his report.
No Injuries In Nine Mile, Pine Forest Road Rollover Crash
June 10, 2019
There were no injuries in a two vehicle crash Sunday night on Nine Mile Road at Pine Forest Road. Three people involved in the 9:12 p.m. wreck refused medical transport to the hospital. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Fire Destroys Outbuilding In Cottage Hill
June 10, 2019
Fire destroyed a storage building or barn Sunday evening in Cottage Hill.
The blaze was reported about 7:50 p.m. in the 3000 block of Ashfield Estates Road, off Parker Road.
The outbuilding was fully involved when firefighters arrived on scene. There were no injuries reported and no immediate word on the cause of the fire.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
