Okaloosa County BOCC — January 8, 2013 — TDD Amended OP Manual - 2 15 13 — reading text

OPERATIONS & PROCEDURES MANUAL REVISED: February 19, 2013 1  TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL A.000 General .................................................................................... 4 A.100 Statement of Organization ........................................................ 4 A.200 Location of Office ...................................................................... 4 A.300 Legal Authority .......................................................................... 4 A.400 Mission................................................................................... 4-5 A.500 Council Composition/Vacancies ............................................ 5-6 A.600 Staff .......................................................................................... 6 A.700 Regular Council Meetings ......................................................... 6 A.710 Location and Notice.......................... ........................... .............7 A.720 Agenda............................................................................. .........7 A.730 Rules of Procedure............. ...................................... ................7 A.740 Minutes.............................. ............................................. ..........8 A.750 Amendment of the Operations and Procedures Manual.............8 B.000 Activities Under the Tourist Development Council.............. 8 B.100 General........................................ ........................................... ..9 CHAPTER TWO: TOURIST DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT C.000 Personnel and Expenses ..................................................... 10 C.100 Personnel Matters................... ................................................ 10 C.200 Status of Personnel............................ ..................................... 10 C.300 Human Resources Policies............................. ........................ 10 C.400 Travel Procedures............................. ..................................... .10 C.410 General........................................ ........................................... 10 C.420 Definitions.................................... ...................................... 10-11 C.430 Approval of Travel Expenses.................... .............................. 11 C.440 Travel Forms................................... ................................... 11-12 C.450 Reimbursable County Travel and Expenses ...................... 12-13 C.500 Reimbursable Promotional Travel and Expenses .............. 13-14 D.000 Tourist Development Plan and Budget ............................... 14 D.100 Tourist Development Plan Adoption.................................. ...... 14 D.200 Budget Adoption................................................................. 14-16 D.300 Accounts....................................... .......................................... 16 D.400 Expenditures................................... ................................... 16-17 E.000 Contracts with Third Parties ................................................ 17 E.100 Contract Specifications........................ ................................... 17 E.200 Contract Requirements.......................... ............................ 17-18 E.300 Contract Compliance............................................................... 18 2  E.400 Contract Approval.............................. ..................................... 18 E.500 Communications with Contractors................ .......................... 18 E.600 Contract Payment Approval Procedures....... ..................... 18-19 E.700 Additional Procedures for Administration of Advertising and Promotion Contract ....................................... 19 F.000 Special Event and Sponsorship Funding F.100 Purpose........................................ ........................................ ...19 F.200 Authorization........................................ ................................. ..20 F.300 Procedure........................................ .............................. ....20-21 F.400 Special Event and Sponsorship Funding Guideline………......21 3  CHAPTER ONE: TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL A.000 GENERAL A.100 STATEMENT OF ORGANIZATION Pursuant to the Local Option Tourist Development Act, Section 125.0104, Florida Statutes, Okaloosa County, Florida (the "County"), has: established an advisory group known as the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council (the "Council"); imposed a Tourist Development Tax (5%); and approved a Tourist Development Plan pursuant to the mission set forth in A.400. The Council is responsible for advising the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners (the “Board”) on the implementation of the Tourist Development Plan in accordance with State and County Procedures and within budgetary limitations imposed by the Tourist Development Tax Revenues. In order to establish the procedures by which the Council will carry out its business and the Tourist Development Plan will be implemented, the Board has approved this Operations and Procedures Manual as the guiding instrument. A.200 LOCATION OF OFFICE The Council has established its business offices at 1540 Miracle Strip Parkway SE, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548. All official business correspondence with the Council or any of its members shall be directed to the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council, P.O. Box 609, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549-0609. A.300 LEGAL AUTHORITY Legal authority for the Council is found under Section 125.0104, Florida Statutes, known as "The Local Option Tourist Development Act"; Okaloosa County Ordinance 89-23 as subsequently amended and Resolution No. 89-40, establishing the Council and stating the intent to levy a Tourist Development Tax. As an appointed Advisory Board, the Council is bound by State and County Laws, ordinances, and procedures governing the Council members and their activities, and procedures of reviewing expenditures of tourist development tax revenues. A.400 MISSION 1) The Council’s primary responsibility is to advise and make recommendations to the Board on matters related to tourism sales, marketing, and advertising to help increase overall visitation and occupancy. The Council shall advise and make recommendations to the Board for the effective operation of the special projects or for uses of the Tourist Development Tax revenue. The 4  Council shall continuously review expenditures of revenues from the Tourist Development Trust Fund and shall receive expenditure reports, at least quarterly, from the Tourist Development Director (the “Director”). 2) The Council shall also make annual recommendations on the promotion and operation of the Emerald Coast Convention Center, operation of the Visitors Welcome Center, the funding of beach cleaning, beach restoration improvements, a certified mandated State of Florida turtle watch program, water testing throughout Choctawhatchee Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, the Emerald Coast Film Commission, funding public beach County access parks, funding improvements and maintenance of other tourist destination facilities within the sub-district, funding the artificial reef program, and overseeing the environmental council. A.500 COUNCIL COMPOSITION/VACANCIES 1) Composition. The composition of the Council shall be as set forth in Section 125.0104, Florida Statutes, and Resolution 89-40 dated April 18, 1989, as amended. The Council shall be composed of nine (9) members, seven (7) of whom shall be appointed by the Board, including the Chair of the Board, or any other member of the Board as designated by the Chair. Two (2) members of the Council shall be elected municipal officials, at least one of whom shall be from the most populous municipality in the County or sub-district. These two (2) members shall be appointed by their respective governing boards. Six (6) members of the Council shall be persons who are involved in the tourist industry and who have demonstrated an interest in tourist development, of which members, not less than three (3) nor more than four (4) shall be owners or operators of motels, hotels, recreational vehicle parks, or other tourist accommodations in the County and subject to the tax. All members of the Council shall be electors of the Okaloosa County. 2) Terms. All Council members shall serve for staggered terms of four (4) years, with the exception of the members of the municipalities and the Board who serve as appointed by their respective governing board and their terms are subject to re-appointment or their term expiration, whichever comes first. No Council member shall serve more than one (1) term which shall be no more than four (4) consecutive years. The Council member terms shall begin on October 1st of the year of appointment and terminate on September 30th of the fiscal year their term expires. The Board shall have the option of designating the Chairman or allowing the Council to elect a Chairman. Terms for the Chairman and Vice-Chairman shall be for one (1) fiscal year. They may be re-appointed by a majority vote of the Council members but cannot serve more than two (fiscal) year terms. 3) Vacancies. Should any seat on the Council become vacant, a replacement to serve the remainder of that term shall be appointed in the same manner 5  as the appointment of the person whose absence created the vacancy. If the appointment to fill the vacant position is for greater than a two year term, then such shall be deemed as a full term. 4) Removal/Resignation. Any member shall be subject to removal from the Council if they miss three (3) Council meetings per fiscal year or upon a majority vote of the Board. Special consideration/leniency will be given for any absences due to Acts of God, personal illness/medical, and/or family emergencies. If one of the elected municipal or county officials on the Council is removed for this reason, the applicable governing entity shall be required to appoint another elected representative as their replacement. In the event a Council member no longer conforms to the criteria listed in Section A.500(1) of this Manual, to hold the seat to which they were appointed, said Council member shall forward a letter to the Council and the Board stating these facts and shall additionally tender a letter of resignation along with this submittal. A.600 STAFF 1) Tourist Development Director.