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Nuts and bolts
Talk of incorporating all or a portion of South Walton has been around since before the turn of the last century.
The latest rumblings began early last year, when controversy arose over the proposed construction of a Hampton Inn on County Road 30A, where much of the county’s summertime tourist traffic congregates.
The South Walton Community Council took the early lead in facilitating conversation on the incorporation issue. The group organized two public hearings and invited a representative of the Florida League of Cities in to outline the process by which incorporation is accomplished. Both meetings were widely attended.
By early this year, A Better South Walton had come into being and taken over the push to incorporate. A feasibility study was conducted and more recently the charter summary was completed.
At this time the group is meeting with organizations and homeowners trying to get the word out about incorporation and add signatures to a petition it is circulating.
The petition is not required, as the feasibility study is, but Pleat said A Better South Walton wants to have 3,000 to 5,000 signatures to present to the state when it requests permission to hold a referendum.
Raushkolb said the group has gathered about 800 signatures in the early stages of its petition effort.
In October, A Better South Walton will take its documents to the District 5 state representative, currently Brad Drake, and ask that a request for a referendum on incorporation be approved by the Florida Legislature.
Lawmakers would debate the referendum request during the 2017 session. If it gives the go ahead, voters in the area being considered for incorporation would decide in July or August whether the new city would be created.
If the referendum is successful, the new governing body would be elected in November, Pleat said.
Pluses and minuses
A city of South Walton would come into being with taxable property values of $13,857,835,315 in 2016, according to the A Better South Walton feasibility study.
“The citizens could expand their revenue capacity very easily,” the study says, but the decision has been made to forego implementing utility taxes, franchise fees, communications services taxes and business taxes.
“State shared revenues will more than provide for the operations of the community mostly concerned with growth management and code enforcement issues,” the feasibility study says.
Therefore, no property taxes will be necessary.
“The newly incorporated municipality will provide some services, but most will continue to be provided by Walton County via an interlocal agreement,” the feasibility study says.
County property taxes collected in South Walton will continue to go to the county’s general fund. South Walton presently pays just under 90 percent of the total ad valorem taxes collected.
Two expenditures A Better South Walton lists in the feasibility study are $2.6 million for planning and code enforcement functions. Of that, $1.7 million is seen as recoverable from the state.
It also lists a $1.5 million expenditure for infrastructure improvements to augment county spending.
Plans call for paying city council members $12,000 each and the mayor $15,000.
Opposition
The only organization that has publicly stated its opposition to the plan to incorporate is the Walton County Small Business Association.
It lists “Oppose efforts to incorporate South Walton as its own city or group of cities,” as one of only three opposition items on its 2015-16 platform.
Walton County Small Business Association Vice President Bonnie McQuiston said in a statement the decision to oppose incorporation will be revisited.
“Now that a feasibility study has been developed, and a charter has been created, we will review this new information and present it to our membership,” she said.
McQuiston added that the Small Business Association welcomes changes that improve Walton County, but stands “steadfastly opposed to the over-commercialization of 30-A with large chains and shopping centers.”
Bailey theorized that the Small Business Association will wait until after the Aug. 30 county commission elections to strongly state its case against incorporation.
Tony Anderson, who is running for the South Walton districted Walton County Commission seat, resigned his seat on the Business Association when he ran for office.
Anderson did not say whether he supported or opposed a referendum on incorporation, and said the issue had “not really” been discussed during the campaign.
His opponent, incumbent Cindy Meadows, said she had not taken a stand on the issue, but would support a referendum.
“I think if there are enough people in South Walton that want to vote on it, then people should be able to vote,” she said.
The Walton County Taxpayer’s Association, another organization with clout in South Walton, is withholding judgment on the incorporation issue.
“The issue was tabled pending receipt and analysis of the Final Feasibility Report,” WCTA Executive Director Bob Hudson reported following a Thursday meeting.
Pleat said Walton County officials have said little about incorporation.
“For the most part they know about the effort and they’re not operating against it,” he said.
County Administrator Larry Jones confirmed the issue had not been widely discussed among county staff and elected officials.
There’s even speculation, Raushkolb said, that incorporation might be quietly welcomed at the county level.
Drake, the state representative likely to be called upon to present the South Walton referendum request to fellow lawmakers, remains leery of the proposal’s true support.
“You’re talking about a citizenship of 25,000 people. I don’t think 25,000 people have had the opportunity to weigh in on it yet,” Drake, R-DeFuniak Springs, said.
Nuts and bolts
Talk of incorporating all or a portion of South Walton has been around since before the turn of the last century.
The latest rumblings began early last year, when controversy arose over the proposed construction of a Hampton Inn on County Road 30A, where much of the county’s summertime tourist traffic congregates.
The South Walton Community Council took the early lead in facilitating conversation on the incorporation issue. The group organized two public hearings and invited a representative of the Florida League of Cities in to outline the process by which incorporation is accomplished. Both meetings were widely attended.
By early this year, A Better South Walton had come into being and taken over the push to incorporate. A feasibility study was conducted and more recently the charter summary was completed.
At this time the group is meeting with organizations and homeowners trying to get the word out about incorporation and add signatures to a petition it is circulating.
The petition is not required, as the feasibility study is, but Pleat said A Better South Walton wants to have 3,000 to 5,000 signatures to present to the state when it requests permission to hold a referendum.
Raushkolb said the group has gathered about 800 signatures in the early stages of its petition effort.
In October, A Better South Walton will take its documents to the District 5 state representative, currently Brad Drake, and ask that a request for a referendum on incorporation be approved by the Florida Legislature.
Lawmakers would debate the referendum request during the 2017 session. If it gives the go ahead, voters in the area being considered for incorporation would decide in July or August whether the new city would be created.
If the referendum is successful, the new governing body would be elected in November, Pleat said.
Pluses and minuses
A city of South Walton would come into being with taxable property values of $13,857,835,315 in 2016, according to the A Better South Walton feasibility study.
“The citizens could expand their revenue capacity very easily,” the study says, but the decision has been made to forego implementing utility taxes, franchise fees, communications services taxes and business taxes.
“State shared revenues will more than provide for the operations of the community mostly concerned with growth management and code enforcement issues,” the feasibility study says.
Therefore, no property taxes will be necessary.
“The newly incorporated municipality will provide some services, but most will continue to be provided by Walton County via an interlocal agreement,” the feasibility study says.
County property taxes collected in South Walton will continue to go to the county’s general fund. South Walton presently pays just under 90 percent of the total ad valorem taxes collected.
Two expenditures A Better South Walton lists in the feasibility study are $2.6 million for planning and code enforcement functions. Of that, $1.7 million is seen as recoverable from the state.
It also lists a $1.5 million expenditure for infrastructure improvements to augment county spending.
Plans call for paying city council members $12,000 each and the mayor $15,000.
Opposition
The only organization that has publicly stated its opposition to the plan to incorporate is the Walton County Small Business Association.
It lists “Oppose efforts to incorporate South Walton as its own city or group of cities,” as one of only three opposition items on its 2015-16 platform.
Walton County Small Business Association Vice President Bonnie McQuiston said in a statement the decision to oppose incorporation will be revisited.
“Now that a feasibility study has been developed, and a charter has been created, we will review this new information and present it to our membership,” she said.
McQuiston added that the Small Business Association welcomes changes that improve Walton County, but stands “steadfastly opposed to the over-commercialization of 30-A with large chains and shopping centers.”
Bailey theorized that the Small Business Association will wait until after the Aug. 30 county commission elections to strongly state its case against incorporation.
Tony Anderson, who is running for the South Walton districted Walton County Commission seat, resigned his seat on the Business Association when he ran for office.
Anderson did not say whether he supported or opposed a referendum on incorporation, and said the issue had “not really” been discussed during the campaign.
His opponent, incumbent Cindy Meadows, said she had not taken a stand on the issue, but would support a referendum.
“I think if there are enough people in South Walton that want to vote on it, then people should be able to vote,” she said.
The Walton County Taxpayer’s Association, another organization with clout in South Walton, is withholding judgment on the incorporation issue.
“The issue was tabled pending receipt and analysis of the Final Feasibility Report,” WCTA Executive Director Bob Hudson reported following a Thursday meeting.
Pleat said Walton County officials have said little about incorporation.
“For the most part they know about the effort and they’re not operating against it,” he said.
County Administrator Larry Jones confirmed the issue had not been widely discussed among county staff and elected officials.
There’s even speculation, Raushkolb said, that incorporation might be quietly welcomed at the county level.
Drake, the state representative likely to be called upon to present the South Walton referendum request to fellow lawmakers, remains leery of the proposal’s true support.
“You’re talking about a citizenship of 25,000 people. I don’t think 25,000 people have had the opportunity to weigh in on it yet,” Drake, R-DeFuniak Springs, said.
