McKay running for School Board
Incumbent John G. McKay, St. Cloud, filed paperwork this week with the Supervisor of Elections office seeking a third term on the Osceola County School Board.
McKay, the current board chairman, is seeking the district 5 seat.
Other candidates in the non-partisan race include Wade Davis and Stacy Anderson McCland, both of St. Cloud.

County has new Web site for vendor information
Osceola County recently launched a new in-house, on-line vendor registration and solicitation notification system called VendorLink.
VendorLink is designed with the end user in mind, as it allows vendors to view and download solicitations at no cost, 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any computer with Internet access.
“This service is going to make doing business with Osceola County easier and more efficient, which will benefit all our vendors, the county and the citizens we serve,” Osceola County Chairman Fred Hawkins Jr. said.
Vendors must register to access current solicitations on VendorLink. Solicitations are matched with vendors categorized by the specific commodity or service offered and vendors are notified of upcoming opportunities. Alternatively, vendors may request bid documents from Procurement Services.
Vendors may register for this free service by visiting the Procurement Services page on www.osceola.org and click on the “Bids & Vendor Information” icon on the left side of the homepage.
Solicitations will continue to be available online through DemandStar, and will be published in local newspapers and posted outside of the Procurement Services office in the County Administration Building in downtown Kissimmee.
Solicitations also can be viewed on the Procurement Services web page. Click on the “Current Solicitations via Osceola County VendorLink” or “Current Solicitations via DemandStar.com” link.
For more details, contact the Procurement Services Office at 407-742-0900.

Burn ban continues in Osceola County  
In light of the lengthy duration of cold weather and frost conditions this winter in Osceola County, vegetation in many areas of the county is still considered tinder and poses a real danger for the possibility of major wildfires.
Until these conditions improve significantly, the Florida Division of Forestry and Osceola County Fire Rescue continue the current burn ban until further notice for all types of outside burning, including open fire pits, campfires and yard debris within the unincorporated areas of Osceola County.
The ban will be enforced by Osceola County Code Enforcement, law enforcement and emergency services personnel. Florida Division of Forestry officials and Osceola County Fire Rescue Chief Richard Collins will continue to monitor conditions daily until it is determined the ban is safe to lift.
“As long as there continues to be a serious threat of wildfires,” Collins said, “we will monitor the wildland urban interface, which is the zone of transition between unoccupied land and human development, until such time as conditions im-prove.”
Residents may request applications for special burn permits from the Division of Forestry by calling 407-856-6512.

Imagine Schools contract rescinded
The Osceola County School Board March 16 in a 4-1 vote rescinded the charter school contract with Imagine Schools at West Osceola LLC (limited liability corporation), which operates under the umbrella of Virginia-based Imagine Schools Non-profit Inc.
With the action, the board deemed the application withdrawn and abandoned.
According to School District officials, the issue was that the contract was signed by representatives of the limited liability corporation and not the nonprofit, as required by state statute, and that corporate officials had not taken steps to prove nonprofit status for the LLC.
School Board Member Cindy Hartig, who voted against rescinding the contract, wanted to give the corporation more time to straighten out the problem.
Hartig said Imagine Schools had a pending contract for a school site and had invested money into the project.
“That school would produce jobs; we have a lot to gain in trying to mediate this," Hartig said.
School Board Attorney Suzanne D’Agresta said that if officials from the nonprofit signed the contract, then there would be a basis for an extension.