Escambia County Alabama Looks To Increase Sales Tax
March 22, 2017
The county commission in Escambia County, AL, is asking the Alabama legislature to increase the county sales tax by 1 cent.
A 1-cent increase is expected to boost the county’s annual revenue by over $2.7 million. Without the increase, commissioners have said the county will be facing service cutbacks and possible layoffs due to lower general fund revenue, partially due to a decrease in revenue from oil and gas severance revenue and gas taxes.
The sale tax in Atmore, Flomaton in Brewton is currently 9 percent, while East Brewton already charges a 10 percent sale tax. The increase would mean a 10 percent tax in the cities, except 11 percent in East Brewton. Just to the south in Escambia County, FL, the sales tax is 7.5 percent, except for groceries and medications that have zero tax.
The commission has petitioned the legislature for the increase because Alabama law won’t allow a local county to pass a regulation to create new revenue.
Pictured top: The sales tax in Atmore, including at this Winn Dixie store, is currently 9 percent but may soon increase to 10 percent. A few miles away in Florida, shoppers pay no sales tax on groceries, 7.5 percent on most other items. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Senate Poised To Vote On ‘Religious Liberties’ Bill
March 22, 2017
The Florida Senate moved forward Tuesday with a bill that supporters say would strengthen protections for expressions of religious faith in public schools.
The “Florida Student and School Personnel Religious Liberties Act” (SB 436) could come up for a vote as soon as Thursday after advancing through a routine procedural stage.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Dennis Baxley, would extend protection to religious activities and organizations and seek to prevent discrimination against students or school employees based on their faith. Unlike a House counterpart, the Senate version of the bill also would require school districts to approve a “limited public forum” policy for student speakers.
But some critics have questioned whether the bill would “open the door for domestic hate groups and other extremists that hide behind religious expression,” in the words of Sen. Victor Torres, D-Orlando. Baxley, R-Ocala, dismissed those concerns, saying it would instead give students a “moral compass” that could lessen tension.
“We spend an awful lot of time teaching students the ‘how,’ and there’s very little opportunity for them to capture the ‘why.’ … We protect all kinds of speech, and it shouldn’t be just that we protect filthy speech but that we actually protect inspirational and encouraging speech. So I think it will actually diminish hate, and people will find that they have much more in common,” he said. Some senators also suggested that the legislation might be unnecessary.
“What does this bill do that the First Amendment doesn’t currently do?” asked Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth. Baxley said the bill was needed to clear up any misunderstandings about the religious freedoms of students and employees.
by The News Service of Florida
Anonymous Donor Gives $3 Million Gift To UWF
March 22, 2017
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, the University of West Florida will receive more than $3 million to assist deserving students in their pursuit of the American Dream.
This transformational gift will establish an endowment for need-based scholarships with preference given to immigrants and refugees and enhance accessibility to higher education for UWF students. UWF enrolled 290 students classified as immigrants in Fall 2015. With the additional scholarship funds, new student enrollment is projected to increase by approximately 30 percent over the next several years.
“Sometimes it amazes me how strong the power of generosity is in our region,” UWF President Martha Saunders said. “This gift will provide needed financial aid to students for generations to come. The donor does not want credit for this incredible act of giving. We are deeply grateful.”
Endowment dollars enable UWF to sustain growth, increase its reputation for quality and compete in the higher education marketplace to attract and retain a talented and diverse student body. Need- and talent-based scholarships to support students within all academic programs improve the lives of students and, in return, the community.
“Providing the opportunity for higher education ensures economic prosperity and mobility for our students as financial barriers can often interfere with academic progress,” said Dr. Meredith Brunen, interim vice president for university advancement. “The foresight of our benefactors is so noble. The ripples of this gift will be felt in perpetuity.”
More Movie Money Surfaces In Local Area
March 22, 2017
More motion picture “funny money” has surfaced in the North Escambia area.
The Flomaton Police Department reports coming into contact recently with a juvenile who had 15 “For Motion Picture Use Only” $100 bills in his possession.
“These Motion Picture Use Only (bills) are not illegal to have but they are illegal to use as real currency. If you have some, we suggest that you destroy them,” Flomaton police said.
At first glance, the fake $100 bills look almost exactly like real money — that’s why they are used in movies and TV shows.
However, the fake bills have the words “FOR MOTION PICTURE USE ONLY” clearly printed on the bill along with the statement “This note is not legal. It is to be used for motion pictures”. The security ribbon is fake, and picture of Ben Franklin is slightly different.
Back in December, the Flomaton Police Department reported that two of the bills had been used at local merchants. One woman told police she had no idea that she had spent a fake $100 — she said she received the bill when she cashed in a winning scratch off lottery ticket in Florida.
Authorities say the fake cash — which can be in any denomination — does not feel like real currency. It does not pass a currency pen test designed to detect counterfeit bills. The fake bills are legal to purchase and posses, but it is a felony offense to use the bills in any financial transaction.
Anyone that suspects a fake bill is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency.
Pictured top: Fifteen “For Motion Pictured Use Only” $100 bills recently surfaced in Flomaton. Pictured below: Close-ups of movie money used in Flomaton last December.
Florida Senators Ponder Direction On School Testing
March 22, 2017
A Senate Education Committee meeting Tuesday on the state’s accountability system turned into a show of strength by people who want to scale back standardized testing, as lawmakers consider the next move.
The long-running debate over the use of assessments in school grades, teacher evaluations and retention and graduation decisions has flared again, prompting a spate of new bills from lawmakers to tamp down testing — and pushback from supporters of former Gov. Jeb Bush’s drive to strengthen accountability over the past 15 years.
“The insanity has gone on far too long,” said Luke Flynt, secretary-treasurer for the Florida Education Association, the state’s main teachers union. “The only consistent result that we have seen from state testing is that they have sucked the joy out of learning and out of teaching.”
What is less clear is the way forward in the debate — whether the Republican-dominated Legislature, which still includes many Bush proteges, will back more-sweeping proposals to eliminate several statewide tests or a measured approach backed by the Bush-founded Foundation for Florida’s Future.
Several of the newest proposals were aired Tuesday at the Senate Education Committee.
Sen. Wilton Simpson, a Trilby Republican who has been leading the panel’s meetings in the medical absence of Chairwoman Dorothy Hukill, said after the meeting that no decision has been made.
“We may put together some sort of a committee bill … with a configuration of the bills that you just heard,” Simpson said. “But again, that’s Senator Hukill’s ultimate call. We’ll have to confer with her first.”
House members are already moving forward with what is known as the “Fewer, Better Tests” legislation (HB 773) backed by the foundation — a bill ironically named, critics say, because it doesn’t explicitly eliminate any tests. Supporters say it could lead to some local tests being shelved because they don’t meet reporting standards in the legislation.
But several of the people who spoke Tuesday at the Senate committee meeting, even some traditionally aligned with conservative causes, slammed the Senate version of the “Fewer, Better Tests” bill (SB 926) as insufficient.
“It’s not a bipartisan bill,” said Catherine Baer, chairwoman of The Tea Party Network and part of a coalition backing stronger legislation. “It’s been put forward by former Governor Bush’s foundation. The foundation’s educational philosophy has been soundly rejected by parents in the state of Florida and across the United States.”
Most of those wanting to more strongly dial back testing have rallied around a bipartisan proposal spearheaded by Sen. Bill Montford, a Tallahassee Democrat who doubles as head of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents.
That measure (SB 964) would, among other things, get rid of the requirement for end-of-course tests in geometry, Algebra II, U.S. history and civics; allow college-entrance exams like the SAT and ACT to be used in lieu of the state’s graduation test; and allow a pencil-and-paper option for the state’s current, computer-based tests.
“What began as a system to measure student performance and to hold students accountable has become an educational system that has been dominated by tests — over-testing, I would suggest,” Montford, a former Leon County schools superintendent, said Tuesday.
But Sen. Anitere Flores, a Miami Republican handling her chamber’s version of “Fewer, Better Tests,” said the Florida Department of Education first needs to look at whether the entrance exams would accurately measure how well students have learned the state’s education standards.
Flores’ bill calls for that review.
“If we don’t ask the DOE to look into that, then just arbitrarily replacing it may be problematic,” she said.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Middle 80’s Today
March 22, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Patchy dense fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 57. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. East wind around 10 mph.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 74. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 80.
Tate Beats Mosley; Northview Crushes Baker
March 22, 2017
Northview 15, Baker 3
The Northview Chiefs 10-run ruled the Baker Gators 15-3 Tuesday in Bratt in five innings.
Zach Payne had five RBIs for Northview in the district game, including a double in the first, a single in the third and a double in the fourth.
For Northview – Quinton Sampson 1-3, R; Chandler Lowery 1-3, 2R; John Chivington 1-4, R; Zach Payne 3-4, 5 RBI; 2 R; 2 2B; Seth Killam, 3-4, 2R, 3 RBI; Josh Neese 1-3, 3R; Bailey Wilson 2-4, R, 4 RBI; Daniel Mascaro 2 R.
Up next – the Chiefs will head to Myrtle Grove on March 27 to take on the Escambia Gators. The JV will play at 4:00; the varsity at 6:00.
Tate 6, Mosley 4
The Tate Aggies beat Mosley 6-4 Tuesday in the Sarasota Baseball Classic.
Gabe Castro earned the win for Tate Aggies Varsity. He tossed two innings, giving up one run, two hits, striking out two, and walking zero. Logan McGuffey started the game for Tate Aggies. He went five innings, surrendering three runs, four hits, and striking out one.
Kyler Hultgren and Hunter NeSmith had two RBIs for Tate, while Reid Halfacre and Logan Blackmon had one RBI each. Mason Land had a double for Tate.
Tate will play Sarasota High School at 7:30 Wednesday at Sarasota.
Tate 12, Navarre 1 (9th)
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Bratt Elementary’s Sanders Named School District Employee Of The Month
March 22, 2017
The Escambia County School District Stellar Employee for March is Chad Sanders.
According to a proclamation issued by the Escambia County School District:
“Mr. Sanders has been employed with the district for 22 years, the last five years in the Maintenance Department as a Maintenance Mechanic l. Mr. Sanders is the Maintenance Crewman assigned to Bratt Elementary School. Mr. Sanders was nominated because of his cooperative and “can-do” attitude. Mr. Sanders completes the work order requests for Bratt Elementary in a timely, efficient manner and maintains a pleasant, professional attitude toward school staff and his co-workers. If a request is out of his realm of expertise, he makes sure it is submitted to the correct person or department to be fulfilled.
“During his assignment to Bratt Elementary, Mr. Sanders has constructed “story stairs” for the school library, benches for the hallways and a reading gazebo, all from school recycled lumber.
“He has repaired numerous light fixtures and even evaluated the roof to determine the problem with the school satellite dish. After Mr. Sanders determined the satellite dish needed replacing, he and his crew replaced it with a new dish. Mr. Sanders has also been involved in the removal and replacement of outdated smart boards, tvs, overhead projectors and projector screens.
“In preparation for the library end of year Reading Celebration for the 2015-16 school year, Mr. Sanders hung ceiling decorations before the event and removed them after the event, saving teachers a great deal of time.
“Bratt Elementary feels they are very fortunate to have such a dedicated, caring, maintenance crewman assigned to their school.
Mr. Sanders personifies the pillars of “People” and “Service”. It is for these reasons that he has been selected as our stellar employee for the Month of March.”
Firefighters Battle Bratt Brush Fire
March 21, 2017
Firefighters battled a brush fire in Bratt Tuesday afternoon. The fire in the 6000 block of Ashcraft Road burned about an acre before firefighters arrived on scene and brought it under control just after 2:30 p.m.. There were no injuries and no structures reported to be involved. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Considers 59% Water And Sewer Rate Increase, 36% Garbage Rate Hike
March 21, 2017
The Century Town Council is considering a rate increase for water and sewer customers that would increase the average customer’s bill by 59 percent. And Mayor Henry Hawkins is also proposing a 36 percent increase in residential garbage fees. Additionally, a rate study for the town’s gas department is expected to be forthcoming.
The total rate increases for water, wastewater and garbage, if approved, will cost the average family of four about $300 per year.
GARBAGE
Century’s 545 garbage customers currently pay $16.98 per month. In order to stop financial losses in the garbage department, Hawkins is proposing a 36 percent increase of $6.21 per month, for a total bill of $23.19. The increase will allow the town to continue to collect bulk items such as furniture and appliances and vegetative waste.
WATER AND WASTEWATER
The water and wastewater department had a net income loss of $142,022, according to a Florida Rural Water Association rate study presented to the council Monday night.
The average family of four customer using 5,000 gallons of water per month currently pays $18.65 for water and $13.00 for wastewater, for a total bill of $31.65. The rate study recommends three-year incremental rate increases totaling a 59 percent ($18.59) increase for the average user….$21.27 for 5,000 gallons of water and $27.58 for wastewater.
The study recommended the following water rate increase:
It was recommended that the full water rate increase be spread over a three year period, and incremental tiers be established:
For wastewater, the study found:
It was recommended that the full wastewater rate increase be spread over a three year period, and incremental tiers be established:
For an average family of four, the rate increases would be as folows:
The town is seeking a total legislative appropriation of $60,000 for preliminary engineering reports for the potable water and wastewater systems. These reports will identify the deficiencies in each system, allowing the town to seek funding and make the necessary improvements.
In order to apply for future grants or loans, the water and wastewater systems must be financially viable by implementing the rate increases, according to town officials.
Pictured: The Century Town Council Monday night. Pictured: Century’s water, wastewater and natural gas franchise also serves the Century Correctional Institution. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.