School District: New Life Baptist Owes $73,000; Water, Gas Still In District’s Name
September 11, 2008
The Escambia County School District has reached a dollar figure they say New Life Baptist Church owes for electric bills on the Old Century High School, and the Town of Century has totaled gas, water and sewer bills on the building.
NorthEscambia.com was the first to report on August 7 that the Escambia County School District had paid water, sewer and gas bills for the old Century High School since it was leased by the Century church in 2004. New Life Baptist Church leases the building from the Escambia County School District for $1 per year. In an exclusive interview with NorthEscambia.com shortly after the story broke, New Life Pastor Irvin Stallworth acknowledged that the church had never paid any utility bills since moving into the building.
The Gulf Power electric account for the building was switched into the name of New Life Baptist on September 1, according to Ronnie Arnold, school district spokesman. The total amount Arnold says New Life owes the district for electricity for the four year period is about $73,000.
“We are in discussions with Rev. Stallworth and his trustees to develop a monthly payment plan for the church to make restitution,” Arnold said.
The gas, water and sewer accounts at the building remain in the school districts name, according to Century Mayor Freddie McCall.
An account history obtained by NorthEscambia.com shows that the water, sewer and gas bills from the Town of Century totaled $123,488.81 for the period from August 2004 to August 2008.
Arnold said those accounts would be switched to New Life’s name after the town installs new meters. The current meters serve both the old high school building leased by the church as well as the gym and football field that are still used by the school district.
McCall confirmed that the district had spoken with the town about installing the new meters and town employees had met with a district maintenance man to located lines. But he said the district had not yet initiated a work order to have the meters installed.
Northview Holds Open House
September 10, 2008
Northview High School held its annual open house Tuesday evening.
Parents had the opportunity to visit with their child’s teachers, tour the school and learn more about what Northview High School has to offer.
Pictured above: NJROTC welcomed parents to the annual open house Tuesday at Northview High School.
Century Finalizes Budget: Keeps Bonuses, Cuts Non-profits, Changes Insurance Plans
September 10, 2008
The Town of Century finalized their budget for next year at a Tuesday night meeting, keeping bonuses and cost of living salary increases for employees, changing insurance plans and cutting funding for several of the town’s non-profits.
The council started a long workshop meeting needing to make up a $308,000 defect.
A majority of the three hour meeting was devoted to discussing changes in the town’s health insurance program. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama had notified the town that the premiums on their current insurance plan were increasing from about $160,000 last year to $215,000 this year. That sent the council in search of a new BCBSAL plan.
In the end, the council chose a plan that will mean increased deductibles for the 19 employees in the plan. It will cost the town about $150,000 a year rather than the $215,000 the new plan would have cost.
Currently, the town pays 100 percent of the insurance cost for the employee and 77 percent of the cost for dependents and spouses. Council member Ann Brooks wanted to cut the 77 percent to 50 percent. That proposal brought fire from other council members and town employees in the audience. Brook’s proposal could have cost some town employees another $60 to $70 a week.
“We have a Cadillac (insurance) policy,” Brooks said. “We cannot afford to be so generous.”
“A lot of our guys have their families insured, but that can’t afford another $70 a week for their families,” Town Clerk Dorothy Sims said.
Two council members, Henry Hawkins and Gary Riley, called for the council to cut about $26,000 a year the town current spends for health insurance for Mayor Freddie McCall and council members Nadine McCaw and Brooks.
“I think we should drop the council and the mayor,” Hawkins said. “I don’t think we should drop our employees’ pay (by making them pay more for insurance) when we are not paying them enough now.”
“It is a possible chance that the mayor and council may not be here that long,” Riley said. “Some of the employees have been here for 25 years.”
“You are going to be hurting the council people and me if you take away the insurance,” McCall responded. “There ought to be some incentive for elected officials. But I’ll survive.”
Council member McCaw said that she was against charging employees more for their insurance. “If you start taking out of their paychecks every week,” she said, “then you are hurting their families.”
After much discussion, the council decided to continuing making insurance available to the council and mayor, and to keep the town’s share at 77 percent of the cost for family and dependent coverage. They also voted to drop dental coverage for a savings to the town of another $12,000 a year.
Next year’s budget includes a 2.3 percent cost of living pay increase for employees. The council also left a bonus of $250 per employee, $4,250 total, in the budget.
The council voted to cut funding by half for non-profits that they support. Instead of $2,000 per year, organizations that include Century Little League, the chamber of commerce, the Carver/Century Community Center and the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society, will receive$1,000. A budgeted $1,000 for Fourth of July fireworks was also cut.
Riley, Hawkins and McCaw supported cutting one half of the funds from the non-profits. Sharon Scott supported not cutting their funding, while Brooks supported cutting all of the funding for non-profits.
The council expects to see an increase of about $44,000 a year in the water department once a consultant completes a rate study. It is expected that the minimum charge for water in the town will increase from $9 to about $13.
The council voted to include the anticipated $44,000 water revenue in the budget, move $55,000 in sales tax revenue to the budget, use $45,000 in interest income, cut $6,500 in non-profit contributions, add an anticipated $6,000 a year in additional garbage funds, add an increase of $4,000 a year in building rental fees and an add estimated $60,000 in property taxes in an attempt to balance their budget.
The building rental increase will come from a vote to double the rental fee for the town’s Ag Building on Highway 4. The $60,000 millage property tax increase will come from a plan to increase the property tax millage from .787 mils to 3 mils. The town’s tax rate in 1979 was 3 mils.
The council voted to take up to $162,500 from local option gas tax money from the town’s reserves to meet this year’s budget. That number will be $102,500 if they are legally able to raise the millage rate by the $60,000 per year.
Hudson will present his final draft of the budget a special budget public hearing at 5:01 Thursday afternoon. The public is invited to attend and offer their comments on the budget.
Pictured above: Century council members Sharon Scott (left) and Henry Hawkins listen to town accountant Robert Hudson Tuesday night. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
State Farm Ordered To Provide $120 Million In Discounts To Current, Former Customers
September 10, 2008
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty announced Tuesday that he has ordered State Farm Florida to issue credits or refunds totaling $120 million to current and former policyholders who did not apply for or who did not receive the Windstorm Loss Reduction Rating Plan discount for making their homes more resistant to wind damage.
In addition, State Farm must pay a $1 million penalty to the Florida Insurance Regulatory Trust Fund.
“I am very pleased that State Farm policyholders will now be getting the appropriate monetary credit for the important wind mitigation devices they put on their homes,” said Commissioner McCarty. “Taking steps to fortify our homes against wind damage is very important. Everything Florida consumers can do to reduce storm damage helps to keep property insurance costs down.”
The order follows a July notice to State Farm of an investigation by the Office into whether the company was properly implementing the mitigation discount program. As the result of an internal review, State Farm identified about 98,000 current or former policyholders to whom it will provide credits or refunds.
State Farm policyholders, who are entitled to the refunds will receive a notice from the company. They include policyholders who currently have, or did have, a homeowners, renters, condominium unit owners, apartment or condominium association policy.
Refunds will be credited to the renewal premium for all renewing policyholders entitled to the refund; or the company will issue a check. Former policyholders or those to whom State Farm has sent a nonrenewal notice prior to today will receive a check within 180 days. In addition, the refund must include 7 percent interest on the amount due to each policyholder until paid.
State Farm has 90 days to prepare the credit or refund process and 365 days for all credits or refunds to be issued. The company must then provide a signed certification, by a company officer, within 30 days of the date the last credit or refund is issued. The Office of Insurance Regulation will conduct a follow-up compliance audit in 12 months.
Two Different Single Vehicle Accidents In North Escambia Tuesday
September 10, 2008
Authorities responded to a one vehicle accident on Highway 97 in Davisville Tuesday afternoon, but the driver of the car was no where to be found.
The accident happened about 4:25 p.m. on Highway 97 just south of Meadows Road. The vehicle left the roadway, struck a culvert and became airborne before landing back on the side of Highway 97.
When Atmore Ambulance the the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Department arrived on scene, the driver of the vehicle could not be located.
In a separate incident, one person was injured in a single vehicle accident on Rockaway Creek Road about 6:00 Tuesday morning.
The driver of a Hyundai Tucson lost control and struck a tree on Rockaway Creek Road just south of Circle Road. That is about a mile south of the Alabama state line in the Nokomis community.
The driver was transported from the scene with non-life threatening injuries by Atmore Ambulance.
The Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the call.
Both accidents are under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Pictured above: The driver of this car could not be immediately located after an accident on Highway 97 in Davisville Tuesday afternoon. Pictured below: One person was injured in this single vehicle accident on Nokomis Road Tuesday morning. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
EWMS Beats T.R. Miller On The Volleyball Court
September 10, 2008
Ernest Ward Middle School’s volleyball team upped their season record to 5-0 Tuesday afternoon with a win over T.R. Miller.
Tuesday’s win on the road was the first for the Eagles against Brewton’s T.R. Miller in several years.
The Eagles are now 5-0 on the season with just two games remaining.
West Nile Case Reported In Escambia County
September 10, 2008
The Escambia County Health Department has issued a Health Alert for West Nile virus following the report of the first adult case of West Nile Virus since 2006. Residents and visitors are urged to take the necessary precautions to avoid being bitten by an infected mosquito.
The infected person in an elderly male that lives south of Interstate 10. But with the risk of West Nile, residents in North Escambia should follow the “5 D’s of Prevention” as well.
Mobile County (AL) authorities announced on Tuesday one confirmed and two suspected cases of West Nile.
The 5 D’s of Prevention
• Dusk and Dawn: Do not go outdoors when mosquitoes are seeking blood during the
twilight hours of dusk and at dawn.
• Dress: Wear clothing that covers most of your skin.
• DEET: When the potential exists for exposure to mosquitoes, repellents containing
DEET are recommended. Check labels before using a product on infants and children. If
an infant is too young to wear repellent and must be outdoors, a parent should place
mosquito netting over the infant’s carrier. Picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are other
repellent options for individuals who cannot wear DEET.
• Drainage: Check around your home to rid the area of standing water, which is where
mosquitoes can lay their eggs. Elimination of breeding sites is one of the keys to
prevention.
• Screens: Make sure window and door screens are in good condition, without any tears
or holes that allow mosquitoes to enter your home. Place screens on open windows.
Eliminate Mosquito Breeding Sites
• Clean out eaves, troughs and gutters.
• Remove old tires or drill holes in those used in playgrounds to drain.
• Turn over or remove empty plastic pots.
• Pick up all beverage containers and cups.
• Check tarps on boats or other equipment that may collect water.
• Pump out bilges on boats.
• Replace water in birdbaths and pet or other animal feeding dishes at least once a week.
• Change water in plant trays, including hanging plants, at least once a week.
• Remove vegetation or obstructions in drainage ditches that prevent the flow of water.
What is West Nile Virus?
• West Nile virus is a potentially serious illness – about one in 150 people infected with
WNV will develop severe illness.
• The severe symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor,
disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness
and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may
be permanent.
• Mild Symptoms in Some: Up to 20 percent of the people who become infected have
symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes
swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last
for as short as a few days, though even healthy people have become sick for several
weeks.
• No Symptoms in Most People: Approximately 80 percent of people (about 4 out of 5)
who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all.
The Dewey Decimals Do Balloons
September 10, 2008
The office (that word by the way, stems from the Latin officium), of the person highly trained in the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs at the Century Branch Library was filled with He, a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert monatomic chemical element that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table and whose atomic number is 2.
In other words, it was Century Library Librarian Pat Rigel’s birthday today, and her office was filled with balloons by her coworkers. The balloons were filled with He…helium.
She said this was birthday number 29, again.
And, by the way, if you did not understand all that in the first paragraph, those definitions are just one of the many things you can learn at the Century Branch Library.
Volleyball: NHS Varsity Girls Down Flomaton; Flomaton JV Wins
September 9, 2008
Northview’s Chiefs downed the Flomaton Hurricanes in varsity girl’s volleyball Monday night.
Northview took three out of five: 25-17, 25-22 and 16-14. Flomaton took two: 25-22 and 25-20.
For Northview, Angela Rodriguez had two kills and five aces. Sophomore Shawna Montgomery had one dig, three blocks, eight aces and a couple of kills against Flomaton.
Senior Brittney Thompson had four block and nine kills. Candice Greenwell had five aces, and junior Caitlin Hall had one block, four aces and 11 blocks.
The Northview and Flomaton JV teams also played Monday night with Flomaton winning.
Click here for a complete photo gallery from Flomaton at Northview volleyball.
Pictured above and below: Nothview seniors Angela Rodriguez (#24) and Brittney Thompson (#5) go up for a block against Flomaton Monday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
County Leaders Talk Fire Unification Plan With Local Volunteer Firefighters
September 9, 2008
Top county leaders brought their message of a unified county fire department to firefighters in Walnut Hill Monday night. The unification of Escambia County’s volunteer fire departments is on schedule to be completed by October 1.
Last week, county leaders explained the new consolidated fire department to the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club (click here to read that story). Monday night, they presented that same message to the Walnut Hil Volunteer Fire Department, where volunteers questioned what their role in the new county department would be.
“It’’s been a lot of work and we’ve beat some issues for weeks, but we have hammered out the agreement for the benefit of all,” Escambia Fire Chief Ken Perkins said.
“The biggest issue is saying we are one organization,” he said. “There was a need to further define the organization.”
Some of the volunteer firefighters at the Monday meeting at the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department questioned what their role would be in the unified department.
“I just want to alleviate those feelings that the volunteers are going to be left out of the organization,” Perkins told the volunteers. “You guys know how to do business and should be applauded for that.”
“It is not a cookie cutter approach,” Mike Hardin, the county’s public safety bureau chief, said. “Fire suppression is as different in Walnut Hill as it is in Pensacola Beach. We understand it is different in the north end.”
“This is evolutionary, not revolutionary,” County Administrator Bob McLaughlin told the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department. “The bottom line is that we are here to protect people’s lives and property.”
Just as he told the Ruritan Club last Thursday night, Perkins told the volunteers of the benefits that he believes will come as a result of the fire department unification plan in Escambia County.
From the cost savings and improved efficiency of a centralized warehouse and purchasing system, to improved communications, to physical exams and background checks for firefighters, Perkins discussed the benefits of the new system.
Improved training was another thing Perkins said the fire department consolidation plan will bring. He assured the firefighters in Walnut Hill Monday night that there would be training classes held in North Escambia for firefighters from Walnut Hill, Century, McDavid and Molino.
He also said paid firefighters that are currently stationed weekdays at Century and Molino would be allowed to work flex time and participate in night training with the volunteers in North Escambia.
Another issue Perkins discussed is the reduction of departments to staff vehicles. Currently, several officers from the volunteer departments are provided with fire vehicles to take home or wherever they may be. This allows them a faster response time because they do not have to return to a fire station to get a truck. Under the consolidation plan, departments would be limited to two staff vehicles.
Perkins said those vehicles would be rotated among officers able to respond to calls.
“The intent is to share vehicles,” he said. “You very seldom have three staff vehicles running calls. We do think we can use them more efficiently.”
Under the unification plan, the following vehicle change will occur at North Escambia volunteer fire departments:
- Cantonment: Reduce to two staff vehicles. Retire 1986 GMC mini pumper.
- Century: Reduce to two staff vehicles. Change 1995 Tele-Squirt to reserve status. Change 1997 Spartan Pumper to reserve status.
- McDavid: Reduce to two staff vehicles.
- Molino: Reduce to two staff vehicles.
- Walnut Hill: Reduce to two staff vehicles. Retire 1981 rescue truck.
The unification also comes with tougher standards for volunteer firefighters, including dozens of hours of training and the ability to pass a doctor’s physical exam at the county’s expense. The requirements also specify that a firefighter will hold a high school diploma or a GED certificate.
Those tougher training requirements would not apply to support personnel volunteers, such as those that volunteer around fire stations doing tasks like paperwork and washing trucks.
The unification plan must still be approved by the Escambia County Commission before it becomes final.
Click here to read the entire unification plan. (63 pages, 3.73 Mb pdf)