By DOTTY NIST
“We’ve got to make this place better,” outgoing Walton County Taxpayers Association (WCTA) President Don Riley told members at their May 20 annual meeting. Riley expressed appreciation to Zuma Banks, WCTA Executive Board member, for taking the lead in the creation of a new expanded mission statement for the organization. The executive board later convened to elect Banks as new association president, along with selecting other new officers.
The annual meeting was held at the Linkside Center at Sandestin Resort. In addition to other business, the members heard a presentation from Kelley Mossburg of “For a Better South Walton” about options for a greater voice for the area south of the bay, including the possibility of forming a city in the area (incorporation).
Riley began the meeting with the observation that “a synergy has developed” beginning with the issue of beach nourishment coming to the forefront and then with the proposal for the Hampton Inn on CR-30A.
“The whole county has a problem…we’ve got to wake up more folks just like you,” he said to attendees.
Riley thanked the WCTA’s 2014 Executive Board and Advisory Board for their service.
Bob Hudson, WCTA executive director, said he had thoroughly enjoyed the past several years working with Riley, who would now be stepping down as president.
Among his efforts with the organization over the past year Hudson recalled working as with a group engaged in an effort to change the way the county’s school superintendent was chosen. The group had tried to effect a change to an appointed or hired superintendent as opposed to an elected superintendent. However, the effort had failed when voters turned down the initiative in a referendum.
Hudson detailed some of the history of the WCTA, which he noted had been in existence for 32 years at the end of 2014. He discussed that the South Walton Community Council (SWCC) had been part of the WCTA prior to becoming a separate organization in the late 1990s.
Advocating for wise use of taxpayer funds and efforts toward lower ad valorem taxes have consistently been a focus for the WCTA. Hudson reported that Walton County’s ad valorem tax rate is the third lowest in the state. He said he did not know if the rate would be reduced, but observed that it is possible to work on improving delivery of services by the county.
“Our vision is for a stronger Walton County,” Hudson said.
The following updated mission statement for the WCTA was revealed: “The Walton County Taxpayers Association (WCTA) has a vision for Walton County as a vibrant, safe place for citizens to live, work, raise families, start businesses and retire. The WCTA believes that lower taxes, an efficient county government, elected officials and government agencies that operate with transparency, and an excellent education system are all fundamental to the growth and success of Walton County.”
“As an advocate for taxpayers and for effective government, WCTA focuses its efforts on achieving the following four goals: We support efforts to streamline taxation in Walton County. We support efforts to reduce the tax burden on residents by reducing millage rates and sales tax rates wherever possible. We support budgets set in a transparent manner that are reflective of community needs and citizen priorities. We support efforts to provide for greater oversight over the use of tourism taxes, guaranteeing that these tax dollars are used for their intended purpose: to improve and enhance our economy through targeted and cost-effective tourism marketing.”
As featured speaker, Mossburg discussed the options of voting in new county commissioners, creating a master plan overlay, amending the Walton County Comprehensive Plan, and continuing to “fight the good fight,” against development proposals that citizens find unacceptable, along with pursuing incorporation in south Walton County.
He invited attendees to obtain more information from the organization web site, www.forabettersouthwalton.com, and to assist the effort by volunteering and/or contributing.
Mossburg ended his remarks with the question, “What kind of legacy do you want to leave your kids and grandkids?”
Approved at the meeting were a slate of directors proposed by the WCTA Nominating Committee to serve in two-year terms on the executive board. These included existing executive board members Suzanne Harris, Betty Letcher, Tracie Martin, Riley, and Bob Sullivan, along with new board members Ryan Cleveland and Sheila Grimes. These members will serve alongside current board members whose terms run through January 2016, including Zuma Banks, Bobby Bowick, Bob Brooke, Danny Glidewell, Emmett Hildreth, David Krika, and Alan Osborne.
Elected for one-year terms on the advisory board were Brad Drake, J.B. Hillard, Eileen McDermott and Mary Nielson.
At the close of the meeting, the executive board convened to elect WCTA officers for 2015. These included: Zuma Banks, president; Don Riley, vice president; Bob Brooke, Treasurer; and Bobby Bowick, secretary.
Information on the WCTA and also details on incorporation are available on the web site www.wcta.org.
