Okaloosa County BOCC — April 7, 2015 — 3-3-15 minutes

March 3, 2015 Regular Meeting The regular Tuesday meeting of the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners was called to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Okaloosa County Courthouse in Crestview. Members present were Nathan D. Boyleg, Chairman; Charles K. Windes, Jr., Vice Chairman; Wayne Harris; Carolyn Ketchel; and Trey Goodwin (arrived at 6:15 p.m.). Also present were J. D. Peacock, II, Clerk of Circuit Court; John Hofstad, County Administrator; Greg Stewart, County Attorney; and members of the media. COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR’S UPDATE Mr. Hofstad stated he has nothing. COUNTY ATTORNEY'S UPDATE Mr. Stewart stated he has nothing. COMMISSIONER’'S MINUTE Mr. Harris and Mrs. Ketchel stated they have nothing at this time. Mr. Windes stated Peter Mayer Advertising has held a contract with Tourist Development for approximately two years. He said he believes in trust but verify, saying he would like to see a compliance audit or contract and agreed upon procedure review. He said he believes Warren Averett could conduct this review at Tourist Development Council (TDC) expense. Mr. Boyles stated it is the consensus of the Board to direct staff to prepare an agenda request in this regard to be placed on an upcoming agenda. CLERK OF COURTS' UPDATE Mr. Peacock stated the Clerk’'s Office has rolled out a fresh new webside with a goal of providing more information to the citizens. He reported his office has a new domain name; it is OkaloosaClerk.com. PUBLIC COMMENTS There were no public comments. March 3, 2015 -1- Minute Book 72, Page 181 Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners VISITOR - UNDERSHERIFF DON ADAMS, BINGO ORDINANCE Undersheriff Don Adams stated he would 1like to speak to the Board on the regulation of bingo games. He reported the State Statutes are vague and it is difficult to gain insight on bingo operators and the charities they represent. Mr. Adams reported that he has worked with a number of charities to develop a proposed ordinance to regulate bingo, stressing this 1is a starting point and he has coordinated this issue with Mr. Stewart. Mr. Adams briefly reviewed some of the points of the proposed ordinance, stating it is a legislative intent to insure the games are fairly conducted and closely monitored. He said the language of the ordinance would be strictly construed and enforced, with permitting requirements and disclosures. Mr. Adams stated he has additional information which did not go into the original agenda package and will make certain the commissicners get copies. Mr. Adams reported some charities are paying the bingo operators as much as $21,000 per week for rent plus additional charges for utilities, pest control and security. He said this seems excessive and not fair market value. Mr. Adams reiterated the proposed ordinance would provide insight into these operations and would be closely monitored. Dr. Julia McNabb, CEO of Horizons, said Horizons provides services to more than 400 mentally challenged individuals and employs 165 people. Dr. McNabb stated she is speaking on behalf of ten charities who rely on bingo to supplement their programs. She said they began noticing in the 1999-2000 timeframe their revenues were dropping significantly, saying they used to get $80,000 per year from this source but last year the revenue dropped to $20,000. (Mr. Goodwin arrived at this time—6:15 p.m.) Continuing, Dr. McNabb advised they did not take it sitting down and tried to find out how to mitigate their losses. It was her contention many of the current practices violate the State Statutes. In working with Mr. Adams, Dr. McNabb stated the draft ordinance not only preserves the intent of the statutes but regulates the charities as well. She told the Board that some charities only receive $50 per week in revenue while the March 3, 2015 -2- Minute Book 72, Page 182 Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners bingo operator gets $2,000. Dr. McNabb said this does not seem to be fair market value. Mr.