Error in public notice forces new meeting
The Century Town Council had to call a continuance after approving its millage rate Saturday, Oct. 8 at a public hearing to approve both the proposed millage rate and budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 when it was discovered a number in the advertised proposed budget was $10,000 off.
After the proposed millage rate was approved at the meeting, it was brought up that the budget had not been advertised correctly. According to Century Town Clerk Leslie Howington, she immediately reached out to CPA Robert Hudson, who was out of town. Hudson made the correction and emailed it to her. She printed it out and gave each council member a copy. Howington then recommended the council table it because it had not been advertised correctly.
The public hearing of the final millage rate and final budget for FY 2022-2023 was recessed and will reconvene on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 6:55 p.m. The regular council meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. will take place immediately following the public hearing at town hall.
At the Tuesday, Oct. 4 Century council meeting, a representative from a company named 90Works gave flyers and presented to the council, explaining the services they provide to help those who qualify, including homeless veterans or those facing eviction.
Open enrollment opens Nov. 1 for health insurance and 90Works can help navigate the system to get health insurance for any community member who needs it.
The representative said they can talk with residents from Century on the phone to see if they qualify before they do an application. If a person does qualify, someone from the company will come to Century, talk to that person and go from there to get them the services they need.
90Works has a program that also helps homeless veterans get self-sufficient within 90 days. The veteran must be homeless or facing eviction. She said they will screen the veteran for services and get them in a hotel until they can them housed. The housing has to affordable. The organization will help budget with them, help with all deposits for rent and utilities, and may pay a couple of months’ rent.
They attempt to help a veteran get a job they can sustain. They will sometimes double up on veterans rooming to help.
90Works will assist with getting a veteran’s needs met for transportation, income, safety and support.
“We will help veterans as best we can,” said the representative. “We help around 500 veterans a year in the area.”
If a person qualifies, he or she will be put in touch with a case manager to find housing. She said they build partnerships with numerous landlords to house veterans, even in the Century area.
Sometimes they can double deposits to get them a place to live.
It can be a single veteran or a family with a veteran. She said they will buy groceries, household and cleaning supplies and linens, but they cannot buy furniture. They can provide daycare vouchers if needed, and they will work with EscaRosa Work Force to help with resumes, to get veterans working.
The organization serves the Florida panhandle and 52 counties in Georgia.
Their office is located at 115 Gregory Square in Pensacola.
Several ways to contact 90 Works is call 850-598-4120 OR 855-90WROKS, ext. 140; visit [email protected]; visit the website at http://www.90works.org or fax 850-390-7238. There is information available at Century Town Hall.
In other business, the council recently:
-Discussed digging and clearing ditches, cutting grass and laying asphalt to ensure proper drainage on Jefferson Loop and down Pond Street and some other places in the town where water needs to be rerouted so it won’t stand in the road
-Heard from a resident who requested more speed bumps on Hecker Road due to speeding cars
-Approved grant administrator Robin Phillips recommendation to accept the proposal from Towne’s Plus Architectal and award that contract, contingent upon the Department of Economic Opportunity
-Approved $938 to be paid every six months to the State Revolving Funds as the town’s portion of a loan agreement of the remaining about $34,000 as part of the wastewater treatment plant rehab, as recommended by Municipal Engineering’s Dale Long
-Approved installing security cameras at town hall with ADT and the shop with Connect It for a total of $2,680.30
The next meeting will begin at 6:55 p.m., Monday, Oct. 18, at Century town hall. The public is invited.
