Votes to hire general manager and executive assistant.
by Kathy Foster
Members of the newly formed Highway 79 Corridor Authority held their first meeting Wednesday afternoon in Chipley and elected the following officers: Chairman Tray Hawkins (Washington County) and Vice Chair Clint Erickson (City of Bonifay).
Hawkins, who described the Authority as “a long time in coming” and “a first of its kind”, said establishment of the entity was needed to attract jobs to area and is fully supported by Governor Rick Scott, with funding through the Department of Transportation and the Department of Economic Opportunity.
First order of business for the meeting was a Sunshine and Public Records Briefing given by Heather Encinosa, Authority Legal Counsel (shown at the right). She carefully pointed out that the Florida Sunshine Law prohibits any closed door meetings, as well as that all Authority records are open to the public, and that there is never to be any two-way interaction/communications between board members deal with matters of the Authority.
Board members in attendance were Roger Brooks, Clint Erickson and Tray Hawkins.
The board members also approved the following agenda items:
- Hwy 79 Corridor Authority Bylaws and Governance Procedures.
- Hwy 79 Corridor Authority Purchasing Policy.
- Job description and pay ranges for a General Manager and Executive Assistant. (These jobs will be advertisted right away.)
- Requests for Proposals for Engineering Services, Financial/CPA Services, and Planning Services.
- Use of Washington and Holmes County staff on a reimbuseable basis until the Authority has a General Manager and Executive Assistant on board.
- Notification to be sent to the FDOT and DEO that the Authority is activated.
The next meeting of the Hwy 79 Corridor Authority was set for 10 a.m. on Nov. 7th at the Washington County Annex.