Bay County Blessing – Citizens Academy

BAY COUNTY, FL - As Thanksgiving fades into the past and Christmas approaches, I am reminded we are very blessed to live in Bay County. Yes, we have our issues, but the fact of the matter is, we have it pretty good here.

Recently, I had the honor of attending the Bay County Citizens Academy with about fifteen or so of my fellow residents. The class was held at Gulf Coast State University, and we met every Monday for 6 weeks to learn about the various departments and services that make this county run. The staff from all over the county came to fill us in on what they do and it was both eye-opening and informative. As with all things government-related, the more information you gather, the more questions you have.

Valerie Sale, the county's Chief Communication Officer, did a fantastic job of keeping the class on track. Her assistant, Catlin Lawrence, seamlessly filled in the gaps whenever necessary. Imagine trying to herd a group of older adults with hearing issues, and you’ll get a sense of just how monumental their task was. No offense to my fellow students—I easily qualify for both categories!

One thing that struck me as very interesting was that the county, on average, gets about a 6% increase in property taxes each year due to rising property values. While that hasn’t kept up with the inflation rate of the last four years, it’s still pretty impressive work if you can get it.

I was also surprised to learn that if you have someone replace a hot water heater, for example, you need to pull a permit. In my humble opinion, this is government micromanaging at its worst. It also costs the taxpayer money on both sides of the equation: you pay for the permit, and the county spends money on inspectors.

And now, for the best part of any class—the field trip! Like most residents, I frequently pass by the facilities where the real work gets done to make our lives more comfortable, but I never give them a second thought—probably because our county employees do such a great job. However, seeing these operations in action is truly a sight to behold. We visited every major facility, from the water treatment plant to the landfill and even the shooting range.

The most impressive place in the county, in my opinion, is the Operations Center. This is the facility you see on the news, where it looks like two hundred people are coordinating efforts after a hurricane. It's a massive facility with sleeping quarters for everyone involved. Touring this facility—and if I’m being honest, the skeet shooting facility—were the highlights of the class for me, second only to meeting all the staff and my fellow classmates.

I would highly recommend that every resident who can attend the class do so. The cost was only $10, which included lunch on the final day of class.