Home Care In Mary Esther, FL

MARY ESTHER — Two Mary Esther Council members have resigned from office because of a new state law that took effect Jan. 1 requiring them to disclose their personal finances in a document called "Form 6."

On Dec. 26, Council Member Susan Coxwell sent a letter of resignation by email to City Manager Jared Cobb, stating that her decision would take effect on Dec. 30, ending a political career that began in 2018.

Two days later, on Dec. 28, Council Member Janice Lipscomb also submitted an email to Cobb stating that she would resign from office.

The resignations leave four people on the Mary Esther City Council: Mayor Chris Stein and council members Larry Carter, Bernie Oder and April Sutton.

What is a Form 6?

Introduced during the 2023 Florida Legislative Session, SB 774, "Ethics Requirements for Public Officials," was sponsored by state Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Lake Mary. The bill was passed and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 11, with the law taking effect on Jan. 1.

Under the new regulations, city council members across the state have to file a Form 6 detailing far more personal financial information than required before. The information includes dollar amounts in bank accounts, 401(k) plans and other assets, such as household goods, property, cash, bonds, stocks, CDs, trusts, business interests, money owed to officials and investments in assorted accounts, including the Florida College Investment Plan.

Failure to file could result in removal or suspension from office or employment and include a fine of $25 per day until a maximum penalty is reached of $1,500. Failure to make required disclosures can result in a reprimand, demotion, reduction in salary, impeachment and/or a civil penalty to a maximum of $10,000.

Why did they resign?

In Coxwell's email to Cobb, she said that she had been weighing the decision since May 11.

"As many across the state who have stepped down, this is not a decision made to hide anything, but because it could cause conflicts in my family and career," Coxwell said. "I hope that the state realizes that the decision to require the Form 6 for our level of elected officials is not 'parity' to such positions as governor or senate.

"The city is moving forward and holding onto the community connection the residents enjoy," Coxwell added. "I can’t wait to see the progress and completion of the projects that we, as council, staff and contractors, have worked so hard to get into motion."

Lipscomb said that the decision to resign was made after "long conversations" with her husband, Bill, and it was decided that it was in her best interest to resign.

With her status as a local business owner, she said she would not like certain information to be available to other businesses in town.

What's next?

On Jan. 17, the city released a public notice to all residents stating that those interested in filling the vacancy can do so until the positions are filled.

Eligible candidates must be Mary Esther residents and voters in Okaloosa County. Interested individuals should submit a Letter of Interest via mail to the City Clerk at 195 Christobal Road N., Mary Esther, FL 32569, or by email to [email protected].

Applicants will be interviewed by the City Council on Feb. 5, at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers. These interviews are open to the public and can be attended virtually, with a link on the city's website calendar at www.cityofmaryesther.com.

Any appointees are required by state law to submit a financial disclosure (Form 6) with the Florida Commission on Ethics. Council members receive a salary of $250 a month, which increases to $350 a month on April 1.

MARY ESTHER — While city residents would retain “Mary Esther” in their mailing addresses, they would experience numerous changes if the city eventually dissolves and becomes a part of unincorporated Okaloosa County.

That point made by city and county officials highlighted a Monday night public meeting about the potential dissolution. The session took place at the First Baptist Church of Mary Esther, which was filled with more than 150 residents.

County Administrator John Hofstad told the large audience that he and the County Commission have not taken a position on the possible dissolution.

“It is a city of Mary Esther decision,” Hofstad said. “We’re here to support you either way.”

Joining him in leading the discussion were County Attorney Lynn Hoshihara and Mary Esther’s city manager and city attorney, as well as current City Council members.

Citing problems such as ballooning property taxes and water and sewer rates, three council candidates in the March 8 city election — Benny Bennington, April Sutton and Douglas White — support a potential referendum in November that would allow city voters to decide whether Mary Esther remains a city.

Earlier:Will Mary Esther remain a city? Three council candidates want to make 'real changes.'

But even if the referendum occurs and voters approve dissolving the city, “It’s not like you show up the next day (after the possible referendum election) and turn the lights off at City Hall,” Hofstad said.

The dissolution process, which is rare and must follow state requirements, is an extensive one that involves the transfer of services, the resolution of accumulated debt and many other issues, he said.

Hoshihara said to provide a seamless transition, about 95% of the details on the city possibly becoming a county-managed unincorporated area would be done ahead of the potential referendum election.

City Manager Jared Cobb told the audience that neither he nor other city officials who attended the session support dissolving the city.

“A dissolution plan would not go into effect unless and until voters approve a referendum on dissolution,” City Attorney Hayward Dykes said.

March 8 elections:Here are the candidates for races in Cinco Bayou, Mary Esther and Valparaiso

No votes or decisions were made at Monday's meeting, at which Hofstad said he would help provide a very broad overview of what would be involved in the potential dissolution.

For example, he said while the county funds the overall Sheriff’s Office budget, it does not pay for the enhanced level of service that Mary Esther receives from the Sheriff's Office and would not do so if the city becomes unincorporated.

Currently, a Sheriff’s Office captain and two deputies are dedicated to providing law enforcement to the city. Councilman Larry Carter wondered whether Mary Esther could, as a potential unincorporated community, continue to pay extra in order to keep its enhanced level of service.

“We don’t do that anywhere else currently” in the county, Hofstad said.

According to a presentation led by Cobb, if the city dissolves it would receive the same level of service from the Sheriff’s Office as any other unincorporated area.

Addressing another concern, Hofstad noted that Mary Esther currently receives fire protection services from the Ocean City-Wright Fire Control District.

He said while the county does not provide any such services, many unincorporated areas receive them from independent fire control districts.

Fire protection services for Mary Esther likely would continue to be provided by Ocean City-Wright if the city dissolves, according to city officials.

If the potential referendum on dissolution gains traction after the March 8 election, county officials would work with Mary Esther officials to determine the costs and levels of fire protection services for the area, Hofstad said.

He said that evaluation would be part of extensive investigations and cost comparisons that would be done before the possible referendum in November.

If the city dissolves, the county would provide water and sewer services, but needed capital upgrades likely would be paid for by former Mary Esther residents, Hofstad said.

The county would have to investigate the current and potential costs of the city’s water and sewer systems and determine Mary Esther’s priorities, Hofstad said. Cobb said that currently, the city does not have a direct connection to the county’s sewer system.

The future of Mary Esther’s library also was a top item discussed Monday.

Currently, the county library cooperative pays for about a quarter of the city library’s annual operational costs and Mary Esther taxpayers pay the rest.

“We would have to figure out (the library’s annual funding scenario) if Mary Esther dissolves,” Hofstad said.

While the city's Maintenance Department maintains Jesse Rogers Memorial Cemetery, its future maintenance method would have to be determined if the city dissolves. Hofstad said churches or organizations maintain most cemeteries in the unincorporated areas.

Addressing other matters, Hofstad said the county would continue to use Mary Esther’s portion of local option gas tax money to help maintain roads in Mary Esther and would keep using the city’s allocation of half-cent sales tax money for road, stormwater and public safety projects in Mary Esther if the city dissolves.

Also, “If you live in the unincorporated part of the county, you pay 0.299 in additional mills (besides the county’s 3.8308 general fund millage rate) for park and stormwater operations,” Hofstad said.

Mary Esther’s current millage rate is almost 5.03, or about $503 per $100,000 of assessed value.

According to information from Cobb, the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society would continue to provide animal control services for Mary Esther and the county would handle Mary Esther’s code enforcement and planning and zoning matters if the city dissolves.

MARY ESTHER — Citing problems such as ballooning property taxes and water and sewer rates, a trio of City Council candidates support a potential ballot referendum that would allow the city’s voters to determine whether Mary Esther should remain a city.

“It’s not that I want to dissolve the city, but we have to make some real changes to the city,” candidate April Sutton, who belongs to the trio, said Monday. “Just like any town, we have some problems and we have to come together as a town quickly to solve them.”

Upcoming election:Here are the candidates for races in Cinco Bayou, Mary Esther and Valparaiso

Sutton and fellow council candidates Benny Bennington and Douglas White are campaigning together while striving to win in the March 8 election.

If they join the council, they could work to get a referendum on the general election ballot in November that would ask voters whether to revoke Mary Esther’s charter and allow the city to become part of unincorporated Okaloosa County.

Mary Esther was incorporated in 1946. It currently encompasses 2.5 square miles and has about 4,400 residents, according to city information.

No services for Mary Esther residents would be lost if the city dissolves and is managed by the county, according to the candidates.

Three City Council seats and the mayor’s seat are up for election next month. The latest two-year term of Mayor Margaret McLemore, who has served in the office off and on since 2000, and the current four-year terms of Councilmen Bernie Oder and Chris Stein each expire in March.

Voters will be asked to decide who will fill those seats as well as to elect someone to finish the final two years of the four-year term of former Councilwoman Charlotte McKamy. She resigned from the council last April because she had moved out of Mary Esther.

Stein and Ned Stieglitz seek to win the mayor’s seat while Oder, Bennington, Sutton, White, Larry Carter and George Crews are the candidates for the council seats. The candidate with the third-highest number of votes will finish the final two years of McKamy’s term.

A political action committee called “Council for Change” supports Bennington, Sutton and White, and the trio’s collective platform is highlighted on the website www.ME-CFC.com.

The potential referendum on whether to revoke the city charter and allow Mary Esther to become unincorporated would “be written with fairness, considering citizens’ concerns and ensuring no loss of services,” according to the website.

If elected, the trio of candidates aim to roll back city water and sewer rates to 2019 levels, adjust/cut the city budget to support the new rates, pursue “on day 1 to join Okaloosa County Water and Sewer” and have the county take over all code enforcement tasks, including permitting and inspections, according to the website.

In September 2019, the City Council approved borrowing $30 million to pay for a citywide water and sewer infrastructure rehabilitation project.

After Hurricane Sally:Mary Esther tackles major water/sewer upgrades

To help pay the debt, the council later approved a property tax increase for fiscal 2020 and three separate 10% across-the-board increases in water and sewer fees for fiscal years 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively.

The city planned to use revenue from those sources and the local option half-cent sales tax to pay off the project debt.

“We need the improvements but we’re bankrupting some of our citizens,” said Sutton, who has lived in Mary Esther for seven years and is a retiree with more then 20 years of finance industry experience. “Some residents can’t afford the higher taxes and water and sewer fees.”

According to the Council for Change website, property tax rates in Mary Esther would decrease if the city dissolves.

Sutton noted that the county Sheriff’s Office currently provides law enforcement in Mary Esther and that the Ocean City-Wright Fire Control District provides the city with fire protection.

“We wouldn’t lose those services” if Mary Esther becomes unincorporated, she said. “I’m not saying the three of us (candidates campaigning together) have all the answers, but we want change and that starts listening to the residents and what they want and need. If voters say they want to stay a city, we’re fine with that, too.

“It’s just about listening to the people at this point. I’ve been at City Council meetings where they want to hush our residents. They don’t want to listen to them. I don’t think that’s right.”

Sutton said that as a council member, she also would work to attract new businesses and new revenue sources to Mary Esther.

Bennington is a retired Air Force veteran who has lived in Mary Esther for 32 years and currently has a civil service job at Eglin Air Force Base.

White, who is a cyber-security engineer with Lockheed Martin, has lived in Mary Esther since last July and in Okaloosa County for 23 years.

Sutton said while she, Bennington and White didn’t know each other before the current election cycle, they each have the same view on Mary Esther.

“We love the city and want it to change,” she said. “Clearly it’s not working, and we need something to shake it up. We want to see all the options for our city. It’s not just tearing it down, but doing what’s best for our residents in general.”

According to a campaign flier distributed by Bennington, Sutton and White, the county “has analyzed the city budget and no services would be cut,” and “has agreed to accept Mary Esther” if the city dissolves.

Sutton said White has talked with county officials about those issues. White said he, other concerned Mary Esther residents and business owners had met in early December with County Administrator John Hofstad and County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel, who at the time served as the commission’s chairwoman.

“The county is not taking a side and will not support or oppose the referendum,” White said Tuesday in an email. “They made it clear they will gladly accept us if that were the will of the people.”

White said one of his major concerns is Mary Esther having water and sewer rates that are 36% higher than the county’s for residential customers and 46% higher than the county’s for businesses.

He said he’s also concerned about city code enforcement division “overreach impeding development and growth” and that a referendum would allow Mary Esther residents to see what the county has to offer.

“The city of Mary Esther has become a 'pass-through' government, contracting out almost all services,” White said. “Citizens will be able to see the referendum and decide for themselves whether to remain incorporated or join the county with the same services and lower millage rates.”

In response to the potential effort to dissolve the city, current Mary Esther Councilman Aaron Bacchi created a website, maryesthermatters.com, where he deems the March 8 election as the most important election in the city’s history.

“Some candidates have goals of taking steps to dissolve the city and rolling back utility rates with no plan to address the sewer pipes that are almost two times past life expectancy,” Bacchi said on the website. “These goals are shortsighted and will result in a misstep that has severe consequences for you as a resident. Dissolving the city will result in ignored infrastructure that risks you having reliable running water or the ability to flush the toilet. Our pressing needs will be dwarfed by the county, (which) has 210,000 people and existing issues that would take priority.”

Bacchi also states on the site that the city has “a legitimate phased water/sewer plan to replace infrastructure operating years over its life expectancy.”

“The city is finally poised to turn for the better after years of stagnation,” he said. “The 2020 City Council recruited a solid city manager who is bringing his much-needed expertise and enthusiasm to elevate this community to the next level. Infrastructure projects are starting, community engagement is increasing, and growth is occurring.”

District 4 County Commissioner Trey Goodwin, whose district includes Mary Esther, said he has heard talk of the possible effort to dissolve the city but nothing in any significant detail.

“From the county perspective and the District 4 perspective, there’s no real preference either way” for Mary Esther remaining a city, Goodwin said Monday. “There is certainly no desire by the county to take over cities.”

2021 election:Voters: Laurel Hill will remain a city; park property in Destin will be tougher to lose

If any effort to dissolve Mary Esther gains traction, the county would help analyze current costs and levels of service in the city and the unincorporated area so residents could compare the differences, he said.

Goodwin noted that the county provided a similar analysis for the city of Laurel Hill during that city’s latest consideration of possibly dissolving.

Last March, more than 65% of 202 voters who cast ballots in the Laurel Hill election voted against dissolving the city.

More than 50 of Laurel Hill’s 600 or so residents earlier had signed petitions seeking a referendum on whether the city should be dissolved. Proponents had cited poor road conditions and a small city budget as top reasons why the county's oldest city might be better off as an unincorporated, county-managed community.

Among Okaloosa County’s nine municipalities, the city of Crestview charges the most in residential property taxes. But when water, sewer, stormwater and trash service fees are included, a Mary Esther homeowner ends up paying a higher annual “cost of public service,” according to a city of Mary Esther report.

Local municipalities are in the midst of their respective budget seasons, in which staff and elected officials determine the budget and millage rate for their city or town for fiscal 2023. The new budget year starts Oct. 1.

Home prices soar:Costs of homes in Okaloosa and Walton soar while supply, square footage falls short

Affordable housing in NWFL:Crestview partners with Gregg Chapel A.M.E. on affordable housing project near downtown

On July 5, the Mary Esther City Council is set to review a staff report that compares various fiscal 2022 taxes and fees levied on residential properties in the county’s municipalities.

The report includes a chart that shows the annual property tax bill for a residential property with an assessed value of $250,000.

Using that value, the chart shows how much a residential property owner in each municipality was charged this year in city, county and school taxes, as well as for water service from the Northwest Florida Water Management District and any independent fire district taxes. (Water and other utility rates charged by the county and the municipalities, as well as Fort Walton Beach’s fire fee, are listed in a separate table.)

“The city of Crestview would have the highest property tax bill at $4,187.45 and Destin would have the lowest at $3,104.55,” Mary Esther officials said in the report. “Mary Esther is near the median at $3,707.33, $75.80 less than Fort Walton Beach and $0.53 higher than Valparaiso.”

The report also lists current residential property tax rates charged by each municipality: Crestview’s is 6.94 mills, Cinco Bayou’s is 3, Fort Walton Beach’s is 5.32, Mary Esther’s and Valparaiso’s are a little more than 5, Shalimar’s is 1.8, Niceville’s is 3.7, Laurel Hill’s is 3.5 and Destin’s is 1.61.

One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value.

Okaloosa County’s current county-wide millage rate is 3.83, according to county budget information.

Crestview’s current millage rate equates to $694 per $100,000 of taxable property value, while Mary Esther’s is equal to a little more than $500 per $100,000 of taxable value.

Another chart and table in the comparison report uses the current property tax bill, utility bill and other fees to develop an annual “cost of public services” for a home with an assessed real estate valuation of $250,000 and water usage of 5,000 gallons per month.

That data shows that Mary Esther currently charges a little more $1,400 per year for utilities while Crestview charges almost $834 annually.

So, the owner of a $250,000 home in Mary Esther would pay a total annual cost of public service of more than $5,107 this year while a Crestview resident whose home has the same assessed value would pay a little more than $5,021.

Because of its low property tax rate, Destin’s total annual cost of public services totals about $4,240, which besides being lower than Mary Esther and Crestview is less than the total in Fort Walton Beach, Valparaiso, Shalimar and Niceville.

Laurel Hill does not provide sewer services and was excluded from that part of the report. The town of Cinco Bayou was excluded because it did not provide information on all utilities, according to Mary Esther officials.

In late 2019, the Mary Esther City Council approved potentially borrowing up to $30 million to pay for a citywide water and sewer infrastructure rehabilitation project that was estimated to be completed in about 15 years. City Manager Jared Cobb has said that the council adopted a plan drawing on loans or a line of credit to complete the work, but that a final monetary amount won’t be known until all the work is finished.

The council also in late 2019 approved a higher city millage rate and higher water and wastewater fees to help pay for the resulting debt.

Mary Esther’s residential property tax rate of almost 5.03 has remained unchanged since 2019.

“Staff will approach future budget years with the assumption of maintaining the current tax rate,” city officials said in the tax and fee comparison report.

Information on possible changes to Mary Esther’s fiscal 2023 utility rates was not immediately available.

Crestview is the largest and most-populous city in the county and, unlike cities in the south end, has plenty of room to grow.

However, “While Crestview is the largest city in the county, it also has some of the poorest properties in the county,” Crestview City Manager Tim Bolduc said Tuesday. “We have a large number of houses whose owners pay little or no millage because of very low property values."

That concern factors into why the city has been “hyper-focused on smart growth” in recent years, Bolduc said.

“The more properties we can bring in (via new subdivisions and annexations), the lower the cost of the tax burden,” he said.

He also said that for the most part, it still costs less to buy a house in Crestview than one in Fort Walton Beach.

“If the assessed value is half as much” in Crestview compared to Fort Walton Beach, “the millage has to make up for it,” Bolduc said.

Just like all other cities, Crestview is struggling with inflation, higher fuel costs and other rising expenses, said Bolduc, who plans to recommend the City Council retain the city’s current millage rate for fiscal 2023.

He said Crestview’s utility rates are set to increase in the new budget year, but that their accumulated total will remain the lowest among the county’s municipalities.

MARY ESTHER — City officials plan to kick off the demolition of the wastewater treatment portion of the water and wastewater treatment plant during a public ceremony set for noon Friday.

The event will be at City Hall at 195 N. Christobal Road just northeast of the plant.

Will Mary Esther remain incorporated?:Mary Esther residents, officials discuss city possibly dissolving. What would that mean for Okaloosa?

Coming up:Here are the candidates for races in Cinco Bayou, Mary Esther and Valparaiso

Mary Esther officials will be joined by representatives from Jacobs Engineering Group, which manages the plant.

The wastewater treatment portion of the plant has been out of operation since 2003 and, to meet Florida Department of Environmental Protection requirements, it must be demolished, according to city information.

“Over the years, three additional treatment systems were added,” City Manager Jared Cobb said Wednesday. “This provided extra capacity to take systems offline for maintenance or repair. Repairs to the collection system and process improvements have enabled Mary Esther to treat the wastewater more efficiently without the original package plant. This means less equipment to treat the same wastewater.”

The demolition will cost $248,052 in state revolving fund money.

The work represents the first project in the city’s Water and Sewer Rehabilitation Program, Cobb said.

In late 2019, the Mary Esther City Council approved potentially borrowing up to $30 million to pay for a citywide water and sewer infrastructure rehabilitation project that was estimated to be completed in about 15 years.

The council “adopted a plan drawing on loans or a line of credit to complete the work, but we won’t have a final amount until all the work is completed,” Cobb said.

The City Council also in late 2019 approved a higher city millage rate and higher water and wastewater fees to help pay for the resulting debt.

Monthly updates on various Mary Esther projects are listed at www.cityofmaryesther.com/projects.