Crestview approves 10-year Okaloosa Gas franchise agreement

Crestview — The Crestview City Council on Jan. 26 approved Ordinance 2017, renewing a 10-year franchise agreement with the Okaloosa Gas District and updating operational terms for repairs and permitting. Council members voted unanimously after the city clerk read the ordinance title into the record.

Staff described the ordinance as a renewal that modernizes the municipality's franchise terms with the Okaloosa Gas District, noting the majority of changes concern how the district handles repairs and permitting for new construction while rates remain unchanged. During the meeting Mayor Pro Tem Tim Doug Capps paused to note the clerk had not yet read the ordinance by title; he said, "I apologize. The clerk should have read" before the clerk read the ordinance into the record and the council proceeded to vote.

After the title was read, a councilmember moved to approve the ordinance and the measure carried unanimously. The ordinance text recited standard municipal provisions including authority for gas transmission and distribution within city rights-of-way, provisions upon termination, and clauses for severability and repeal of conflicting ordinances.

What happens next: Ordinance 2017 updates the Crestview code and remains subject to the standard implementation process for franchise agreements; the effective date was included in the ordinance language read at the meeting but was not separately discussed.