Up is Sky Monteith.

He is talking about the sheriff’s contract and his proposed Destin Police Department, which he has proposed to city leaders previously to no avail.

Monteith is now requesting with a letter of intent on when he is going to resign his post due to the fact that he is going to be running for county commissioner.

He will have a letter provided by May 25 and in a way that his replacement doesn’t cost the city any money.

That’s a wrap… thanks for following along.

Councilman Hines asked if the city should put in place some checks so purchases cannot be made without the city not knowing what’s purchased.

Finance Director Bragg Farmer said the city doesn’t spend more than $15,000 without the city council knowing about it and approving it.

This topic is in light of the situation that unfolded at the TDC with former Executive Director Mark Bellinger, who purchased a $710,000 yacht without approval. Amid the scandal, Bellinger ultimately took his life Friday.

Checks in the city of Destin must be signed twice.

Ustick said she recently met with Jack Daly from the Destin YMCA and they have been in discussions about the city being more involved in the actions of the YMCA.

The city will appoint two members to the Y’s board.

Councilman Larry Williges volunteered to sit on the board.

The motion to appoint Williges and Councilman Tuffy Dixon to the board is up for vote and approved unanimously.

After the city’s latest dredge, the city will be planting 36,000 sea oats along Norriego Point in addition to installing sand fencing.

The city is asking for up to $35,000 to be budgeted for this project. There is funding available for this project through NPBE Funds.

“This is something we can directly do and see a benefit along Norriego Point,” Seevers said.

In 2011, the City repaired three pipes comprising the outfall conveyance for Coleman Lake under Main Street to Joe’ s Bayou, requiring an emergency excavation and repair of the piping, fill, base and pavement of Main Street.

At that time it was noted that the standpipe structures in the lake would likely need replacement in the near future.

It was recently brought to staff’ s attention that the lake level was dropping, and that there was likely a leak in one of the standpipes. Upon investigation, staff determined that the northernmost standpipe had rusted through and partially failed below the waterline. It now appears that failure is accelerating, according to city documents.

Looking at the project, Ustick said it would cost the city a price not to exceed $75,000 for construction. The funds would come from FEMA, via reimbursement from Hurricane Ivan.

As for the project, Schmidt said “we’ve been scrambling” to put a design together for this project.

“What we have now is what we think is the best long-term solution,” he said. This would consist of two sheet pile structures that are filled with concrete.

The sheet pile will be driven down 14 feet.

Schmidt said the best way to install the sheet pile is to vibrate them into the sandy bottom of the lake.

“We have every expectation this is going to solve this problem…” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said the project should be able to be completed in a few weeks after work begins.

Once the outer sheet pile wall is installed, Schmidt said they would be able to control the water flow of the lake.

“We do still have to permit this with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Environmental Protection,” Schmidt said. “We feel as we can get this permitted pretty quickly.”

He said he feels confident that the work could begin in about a month.

Coleman Lake is owned by the Kelly Trust, but the city has an easement over the drainage structure, Ustick said.

Capt. Mike Parker is at the mic.

He is telling city leaders that “the scoping” might not have seen everything the city needed to see and that there are some breaks at the bottom of the pipe.

“What I saw and Jim saw, were some breaks at the bottom,” he said. Parker said this is a matter of urgency.

“It’s dropping over an inch a day,” he said. “It will turn into a mud pit in a hurry if we don’t get it plugged.”

“We need to stop that leak as soon as possible,” he added.

Schmidt said a permit from the Corps of Engineers could take anywhere from a week to more than a month. He said the cost to scope the pipes would be roughly about $1 a linear foot. That would not need to be permitted.

“Is there a temporary plug…?” Bagby asked. “I’m just trying to figure out if there’s a recommended patch.”

Schmidt said they are old and rusted pipes, and they can break very easily. He said trying to patch the holes could also make the problem worse.

“We’re afraid quite frankly to get to close to it and try to do anything with it, because we might cause more damage,” he said.

The motion to approve the funding and proceed with the project is up for vote and approved unanimously.

Ustick is saying that when the city worked on joint project with Walton County in 2006,  monitoring was part of their permit.

She said there is monitoring that has to be done. Destin’s portion of this monitoring is going to cost the city about $65,000, which they hope to be reimbursed at least 50 percent of the cost.

The funds will come from the city’s unallocated funds.

Hines is asking why the county’s budget that was passed six years ago didn’t include theses costs. He is saying that TDC funds are something that can be used for this project, so he will ask for the funding through the TDC.

The motion to proceed is up for vote and passed 5-1, with Trammell abstaining, due to family employed with Taylor Engineering.

Looking at the West Destin Restoration Project, the city of Destin would like to “piggyback”  with the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council on their contract with Taylor Engineering for construction management of the proposed project.

According to city documents, this will enable Taylor to submit the joint coastal permit on behalf of the city immediately to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for modification.

City Attorney Jerry Miller is telling the city that they have to have a motion to reconsider a previous vote they took on this item. That vote is passed unanimously.

Motion approved 5-1, with Trammell abstaining due to the fact that her son works for Taylor Engineering.

The city will have an upcoming executive session in regard to Narconon.

Cyron Marler said more than 200 people attended the city’s Founder’s Day Celebration Saturday at the Community Center.

Councilman Hines is asking about a flag pole at Clement Taylor Park. He said there used to be one on the property, but it’s no longer there.

Hines said all told, it would cost about $10,000 to get a flag, a pole and all of the necessasry fixtures for installation. He is working with the American Legion on this project.

Seevers said the city of Destin has made the “second cut” for projects to receive funding through the natural resources damage assessment program.

Seevers has also nominated the city of Destin for an award through the Florida League of Cities in regard to the dog park, the city’s first true public/private partnership.

Kay Rasmussen from the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County is up to the mic for her quarterly update.

Rasmussen is telling the council that the EDC is working on some projects, but she can’t share the names of the companies or any identifying information due to state statute. She said they are working on about 30 projects at the moment.

“Collectively, you will see that those four companies have created 500 new jobs for our area,” she said of four companies that have come into the area.

She said they are also working on a project that is looking into Destin. It’s called project “waterworks.” Rasmussen said they have decided that Destin is where they would like to be.

“It’s a very fast moving project,” she said.

Rasmussen said she thinks they might be able to have a deal by the next time she comes in front of the council, which would be next quarter.

City leaders want to petition the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee to expand the no wake zone in East Pass south toward the jetties.

The request would go through Okaloosa County, since the city has no jurisdiction in the pass.

Also, the city wants to have a study performed to document congestion in the pass. Prior attempts to extend the no wake zone in the pass have been denied.

Williges is asking about the safety and if any numbers were available for accidents and such.

“Is there any written record of this?” he asked.

Ustick said the data doesn’t show any accidents. She said a vessel study might be able to help the city’s case on this.

He wants to know if the charter boat association has been approached about this. Ustick said the city has not talked to the charter boat association.

“I would like to hear a little more justification…” Williges said.

Over to Hines, he said the pass has more traffic and more parasail boats, in addition to an increased number of swimmers.

“We think a comprehensive study by the county would either show it’s justified or not justified,” Hines said.

Ustick said the county would conduct the study, so it wouldn’t cost the city any money.

The motion to approve the resolution is up for vote and passed unanimously.