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

The Director will administer and coordinate the operations of the Council. The Director will be an employee of Okaloosa County; serve as Director of the Tourist Development Department; oversee the Emerald Coast Convention Center Management, Emerald Coast Film Commission, and the Visitor Welcome Centers; and all divisions under the Tourist Development Department. The Director shall report to the County Administrator. The Director will supervise all Tourist Development Department staff and shall be responsible for, and make recommendations to the Council and County Administrator concerning the operation of the Council and Tourist Development Department business. The Chairman of the Council may be a part of the Director’s annual performance process and may provide comments and recommendations to the County Administrator. 2) Tourist Development Department Staff. All Tourist Development Department staff shall be employees of the County, with all benefits provided by the Board paid from the Tourist Development Trust Funds, and shall report to and be supervised by the Director. As such, said personnel will receive all standard County employee benefits paid through the Tourist Development Trust Funds, and be subject to all County employee regulations, in addition to those provided in this Manual. The designated work stations for staff shall be the business offices of the Tourist Development Department located at the County Visitors’ Welcome Center and the Emerald Coast Convention Center. A.700 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETINGS The Council shall meet at least once each quarter. To the extent that more meetings are necessary, they may be called by the Director. 6 A.710 LOCATION AND NOTICE Council meetings will be held at the Emerald Coast Convention Center or as otherwise designated by the Director. All meetings shall be duly advertised in a newspaper of general circulation within the sub-district and open to the public. Notice will also be placed on the Okaloosa County website on the Commissioners monthly meeting calendar. Individuals wishing to receive e- mail notifications of upcoming meetings may contact the Tourist Development Department office. A.720 AGENDA An agenda will be prepared for each Council meeting by the Director. Council members wishing to place an item on an upcoming agenda must submit their request to the Director at least one (1) week prior to a regularly scheduled meeting. Department staff shall provide background information on each agenda item as appropriate, and such information shall be available to Council members at least two (2) business days prior to a scheduled meeting. A.730 RULES OF PROCEDURE 1) Public Participation. Meetings of the Council will be conducted by the Council Chairman, the Vice-Chairman, or their designee, in a manner to permit the greatest possible participation by all Council members and the interested public. 2) Majority/Quorum. Approval of a motion requires an affirmative vote of a simple majority vote of the Council members present and voting.. Five (5) Council members shall constitute a quorum of the Council for purposes of conducting business. 3) Abstention. Any Council member desiring to abstain from voting shall publicly disclose the reason for their abstention before the vote is taken, in compliance with Section 286.012 and Chapter 112, Florida Statutes. Full disclosure must be made in writing within fifteen (15) days after the date of such meeting. 4) Rules. The Council meetings shall be subject to all the procedural requirements of Chapter 286, Florida Statutes. All Council meetings must be duly noticed and open to the public. Council members are prohibited from discussing with any other Council member any matter on which foreseeable action will be taken by the Council. 7 A.740 MINUTES Written minutes shall be kept of each Council meeting. A written summary of each meeting shall be presented at the next Council meeting for approval by Council members and signed by the Chairman. Such written summary shall show the Council members in attendance, the major items of discussion, resolutions or other formal action taken at such meetings, and items presented during public participation periods. The Council shall abide by Florida Statutes in regard to minutes and public participation. In addition, an audio-recording of each meeting shall be made and retained as a public record. A.750 AMENDMENT OF THE OPERATIONS AND PROCEDURES MANUAL The Operations and Procedures Manual may be amended from time to time by the Board. The Council may provide suggestions to the Board as to proposed modifications. B.000 ACTIVITIES SUBJECT TO FINANCIAL REVIEW BY THE TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL B.100 GENERAL Tourist Development Trust Funds may be budgeted by the Board for the following purposes, including but not limited to: 1) TOURISM PROMOTION: Development and maintenance of quality advertising, sales, marketing and public relations initiatives for the sub- district which presents a consistent and positive brand for the area; production of informational/promotional materials and systems, including publications, that it shall determine to be necessary or appropriate for the promotion of the special taxing district, and for local notification of projects as deemed necessary; support for a variety of special events to further the development of year round business, with special emphasis on the shoulder seasons, and bolster image and name recognition for the sub- district; and continual maintenance efforts to keep the beaches, waterways, accessways and other tourist destination facilities within the sub-district clean, attractive and safe for public usage. 2) EMERALD COAST FILM COMMISSION: Operation and function of the Emerald Coast Film Commission to supply staffing requirements, materials, information, photos and guides to potential members of the film, photography and television industry to enhance the sub-district by increasing the economic impact by bringing in film and production companies, which will increase employment of our area’s citizens and establish our area as an entertainment ready community. 8 3) OFFICIAL VISITOR/WELCOME-INFORMATION CENTER: Operation and function of the Official Visitor/Welcome-Information Center to supply materials, information, and guidance to the visiting public to the sub- district to a) unify the taxing district’s local promotion of the tourism business, b) provide information to visitors and provide information and c) to maintain a record of number of visitors and their demographics. 4) EMERALD COAST CONVENTION CENTER: Operation and function of the Emerald Coast Convention Center, to supply staffing requirements, materials, information, supplies, meeting facilities, operations of the center to include water, sewer, electricity, landscaping, meeting requirements of the public to enhance the area taxing district by providing a venue for cultural, educational, sport and entertainment events which will be a positive draw for visitors and establish our area as a group/convention/motorcoach area. 5) PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT: Maintenance and improvement of the beaches and water of the Gulf of Mexico, the Choctawhatchee Bay and other tourist destination facilities, including the improvement of public access to and use of these assets, including recreational facilities within the sub-district are essential to the preservation and improvement of the very foundation of the economy that the County is promoting. 6) ADMINISTRATION: Administration of the tourism tax revenues shall be through local administration by the Director of the Tourist Development Department under the direction of the County Administrator. Administration of the revenue collection process shall be carried out under a subcontract with the Okaloosa County Clerk of Court pursuant to Okaloosa County Ordinance 92-08 as amended. 7) RESERVE/EMERGENCY OPERATIONS: Maintenance of a reserve fund for the purpose of supplementing standard promotional functions, product improvement areas, beach maintenance efforts and for restoration of the county’s beach improvements in the aftermath of a major disaster which impacts sub-district coastal areas. 9  CHAPTER TWO: TOURIST DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT C.000 PERSONNEL AND EXPENSES C.100 PERSONNEL MATTERS The Director shall make recommendations with respect to personnel issues and present to the County Administrator and Human Resources Director for final approval. C.200 STATUS OF PERSONNEL C.300 HUMAN RESOURCES POLICIES As County employees, Tourist Development Department employees are governed by Human Resource policies of the County. C.400 TRAVEL PROCEDURES C.410 GENERAL Travel related expense payments and/or reimbursements are governed by County Policies and Procedures applied under the provisions of Section 112.0601, Florida Statutes. However, for certain travel and promotional expenses, staff is also governed by the broader provisions of Section 125.0104, Florida Statutes. C.420 DEFINITIONS Authorized Persons – Persons who obtain the required approval pursuant to Section C.430 of this Manual. Class A Travel - Continuous travel of 24 hours or more away from official headquarters. Class B Travel - Continuous travel of less than 24 hours which involves overnight absence from official headquarters. Class C Travel - Travel for short or day trips where the traveler is not away from official headquarters overnight. Official Headquarters - The official headquarters of an officer or employee assigned to an office shall be the city or town in which, or nearest to which, the office is located. 10  Travel Expenses - Usual, ordinary, and incidental expenditures that are necessarily incurred by a traveler. Traveler - A public official, public employee, or authorized person when performing travel. County Travel and County Expenses – Travel undertaken and/or expenses incurred by Travelers in context of usual business travel for purposes of staff development/professional education, meetings of purely professional affiliations, management of planning and construction of Product Improvement projects, staff retreats and other Manager-mandated staff Class A-C travel. Reimbursement for this travel and these expenses is governed by Section 112.061, Florida Statutes and Section C.450 of this Manual. Promotional Travel and Promotional Expenses – Travel undertaken and/or expenses incurred by