OKEECHOBEE — The Culture of Collaboration discussed Christmas lights during the Nov. 4 Okeechobee City Council meeting.

Alex Tijerina from the Okeechobee County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) first explained what the Culture of Collaboration was. She said it was created by the EDC to join together groups such as Okeechobee Main Street, the Chamber of Commerce, the Tourist Development Council and the Economic Council of Okeechobee. Their mission is to ensure there are no gaps in service for local business owners and to make sure Okeechobee is represented to those outside the community.

Christmas in Okeechobee is their first joint campaign project, and their aim is “to enhance traditions that we all hold so dearly to our hearts.” They want to create a festive experience for anyone visiting downtown Okeechobee while continuing to support local events that already take place downtown. They came before the city council to ask them to allow the trees and lights in the parks to be lit beginning on Nov. 13.

On Dec. 2, when the City Hall’s tree is lit, they plan to turn on additional décor lighting in the parks. All of these lights would be on until Jan. 13.

Tijerina went on to explain this has been a collaborative effort between the city, the county and private donors. “We’ve launched a very strong marketing campaign in the hope of driving tourists downtown.” She said they hoped to increase sales in all the businesses, not just in the downtown area. They have even launched a website specifically for Christmas in Okeechobee.

“In general, we’re just trying to create a connected, festive experience for our community members, our business owners and our tourists and visitors,” she said.

The city council has the final say on what happens in the parks, so the group came to the meeting asking for the council’s approval.

Vice Mayor Monica Clark said she thought Nov. 13 was too early, and she quoted her granddaughter saying, “Respect the Turkey.” She suggested waiting until the week before Thanksgiving and thinks Jan. 6 would be a better time to put the lights away. She explained she was not against turning them on early, but the lighting of the city's big tree is scheduled for Dec. 2 and cannot be changed. She thinks it would be better to do it all on one night.

Some of the council members said they preferred turning all the lights on the same night.

After a short discussion, the council voted unanimously to move ahead with this plan.

After some discussion, the council decided to leave the park in front of city hall dark until Dec. 2, when the big tree is turned on, and to go ahead with the plan for the other parks.

Okeechobee City also has a job opening for a General Services Director. Information concerning this opportunity can be found on the city’s website or by contacting Human Resource Director Heather Prince at humanresources@cityofokeechobee.com or 863-763-9796. The salary range is between $53,206.01 and $59,856.77, plus benefits.