Over 100 in attendance as city council kicks off City Government Week

CRESTVIEW — "Bienvenue" (or "welcome") opened the special council meeting Monday in Warriors Hall with over 100 in attendance including attendees from Crestview's sister city in Noirmoutier-en-l’Île, France.

This meeting marked the beginning of "City Government Week" — a week dedicated to giving the community an opportunity to learn more about city operations.

Although this was a "special" meeting, the council began in regular meeting format with an invocation.

"We open every meeting with an invocation, and some people say, 'Why do you do that'," Whitten said. "We are a Christian country based on Christian principles."

"What we're going to do is walk you through the meeting so you can see what we do," Whitten said. "Normally, we have very long, boring meetings. Tonight, we will have a short boring meeting."

The council business portion of the meeting was quick with only one item discussed, an out-of-city water service petition by Crestview residents, which passed unanimously with all members present.

Mayor David Cadle then stood before the crowd and read a proclamation designating this week as "City Government Week" for 2018.

"I encourage the citizens of this city to become involved in the activities of your local government thereby enhancing the quality of life in your community," Cadle said.

A large portion of the crowd consisted of groups the council recognized.

After the council recognized their groups, Cadle read the "Sister City Proclamation," but not before taking a moment to honor the community for assisting in Hurricane Michael relief efforts.

"Let me thank each one of you for the heart you gave to our friends and relatives in the Panama City area," Cadle said. "We can go home this evening in comfort, and they're looking at months and years of rebuilding … We will keep them in our prayers."

Noël Faucher, the mayor of Noirmoutier, and Cadle exchanged gifts from each city.

"On Saturday, as I was telling you, we had a barbecue right at this very spot," Cadle said as he held a framed photo of Northwest Florida State College Robert L. F. Sikes Education Center.

They dedicated a garden to Noirmoutier called  "Le Jardin de Noirmoutier," the mayor said.

Faucher gave a speech with the help of a professor of English at a university in Noirmoutier.

"These exchanges have allowed our young French citizens to come here and discover your culture," Faucher said. "… Part of their dream was the American dream to come and check what they had seen for so many years in television and their books and their songs."

The gift from Noirmoutier was a painting of a sea buoy that leads to Noirmoutier "showing you the way."

The night concluded with what many of the boy and girl scouts had been waiting for — cake.

The Crestview Police Department, Crestview Fire Department, council members, and other department heads had booths set up with information for attendees interested in learning and asking questions.

The city will continue having events throughout the week.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Over 100 in attendance as city council kicks off City Government Week