Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-15-17 Minutes t :>( ( } ) florid° Charter Review Board February 15,2017 MINUTES 7:00 p.m. Call to Order Chairman Hopper called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m., in the Commission Chambers of City Hall, located at 150 N. Lakeshore Drive. Vice-Chair King led the Pledge of Allegiance and Recording Clerk Sibbitt called roll and declared a quorum to be present. Roll Call and Determination of Quorum Present: Chairman Hopper, Vice-Chair King, Members West and Griffin. Also present were Recording Clerk Sibbitt, Charter Review Commission "CRC" Facilitator Rosenthal, and Assistant City Attorney Crosby-Collier. Absent: Member Murray, Alternate Member Bonham, and Alternate Member Grogan Guests: None Approval of Minutes of January 18,2017, Meeting Motion for Approval of the January 18, 2017, Minutes: Moved by Member West, Seconded by Member Griffin; Motion carried 4-0. Public Comments Public Comments were heard out of agenda order. Discussion is noted below under Discussion/Review of the Current City Charter. Discussion/Review of the Current City Charter Chairman Hopper shared that he would like to expedite the process of reviewing the charter as they did receive a citizen compliant about their current process and not being able to meet their deadline. He opined that the current charter is a good charter and does not feel that many changes will need to be made. Chairman Hopper commented that he has asked the board from the beginning to review the charter and highlight any areas they felt should be addressed, and he is hoping that has been done. CRC Facilitator Rosenthal explained that trying to limit the meetings to just an hour will run them into a crunch. He said that an e-mail did circulate with regards to changing the meeting Charter Review Board February 15,2017 time to 6:30pm, but he noticed that the City calendar had the 7:00pm time already noted. He suggested that if they change the time, then they should also change the placement of the public comments to begin at 7:00pm or they also have the option of extending the meeting to 8:30pm. He further advised that he has spoken with Assistant City Attorney Crosby-Collier who has put together a timeline for the board, so they are aware of what needs to be completed and by when. CRC Facilitator Rosenthal briefly advised that he has reached out to the City Manager with regards to advising if staff will or will not have any comments for them to consider. He further reminded the board that they may also want to consider inviting the elected officials as well as hold a general public hearing for any additional comments. CRC Facilitator Rosenthal suggested that they may want to start talking about putting specific times on the calendar for their meetings with staff, elected officials, and the public. The chairman shared that he also asked the recording clerk to reach out to staff about any input on charter items they would want the board to discuss. Recording Clerk Sibbitt advised that after the facilitator contacted the City Manager and he sent out an e-mail to Department Directors, she had received calls from staff inquiring on where they could locate the charter so they may review it. She suggested they wait until their next meeting to see if anything is received. Member West said he did like the idea of changing the meeting time to begin at 6:30pm. Public Comments Commissioner Grogan addressed the board and shared that it was stated during a Commission Meeting that if the elected officials had any comments or suggestions since it is publicized and posted, that they could come before this board. He further shared that he would like to suggest allowing the Commission the authority to decide on the start time of the City Commission Meetings as he feels that starting an hour earlier might be better for residents as well as the Commission. Additionally, he shared that many cities include the salary and salary increase language for the Mayor and Commissioners into their charter, so that the Commission is not voting on their own salary increases. Commissioner Grogan opined that sitting on the Commission is not a job many residents are seeking to do and most tend to ask what the pay is when they do inquire. The Ocoee Commission has not had a raise in 16 years. He shared that during his research he found cities comparable to the City of Ocoee throughout Central Florida and Ocoee is below the average pay salary a year. Chairman Hopper inquired what his input would be to the board. Commissioner Grogan suggested that the CRC Board consider doing research as he did; and if they see fit to do anything, that would be up to the board. Chairman Hopper said they would add this as an action item for the board to consider. Martha Lopez-Anderson, 2438 Alclobe Circle, said she sent an e-mail through the City Clerk to forward to the board which shared her observations and concerns. She hopes they are able to address these issues. She further shared her appreciation for the board, but opined that time will go quickly, and they have a lot to discuss for which an hour is not enough time to accomplish this. Mrs. Lopez-Anderson inquired how they are going to engage with the general public. Chairman Hopper said they will be holding public hearings, and the board meetings are publicized on the City's website. Mrs. Lopez-Anderson suggested going out to the different districts and holding their meetings as that is an opportunity for the board to go to the people. Additionally, she shared that many people are not even aware of what the Charter Review Board does and feels they have to be on the lookout for a posting of the meeting. Chairman Hopper shared that he appreciates her concerns and they have spoken about adjusting the time of the 21 Page Charter Review Board February 15,2017 meeting prior to her arrival. He agrees that they should engage the community through the Commissioners of each district, and he will reach out to them. He further shared his agreeance with some of her points made in her e-mail and would love to see some positive input as well. Chairman Hopper advised Mrs. Lopez-Anderson to send an e-mail to the clerk or bring to the next meeting any charter items she would like for the board to consider. CRC Facilitator Rosenthal shared that as they work on their schedule the possibility of meeting twice a month may need to be considered depending on where they are at relative to the timeline. Vice-Chair King inquired about the word "may" and "shall" in the Florida Statute that addresses municipal charters. Assistant City Attorney Crosby-Collier shared that the way the Florida Statute is written, if a City wants to amend its charter, it "may" do so. The language is written with the discretionary"may"because the legislature did not want to tell cities they "shall" amend their charter as some charters may never be amended. She further explained this is according to the Attorney General's interpretations as there are not many case laws. Brief discussion ensued. Assistant City Attorney Crosby-Collier explained her timeline, stating that they reached out to the Supervisor of Elections (SOE) so they would know what date they would have to submit charter amendments for the ballot. Deadline for the SOE is the last day of qualifying, but the overseas ballots would be going out the very next day which would not give much time. After discussion with the CRC Facilitator and staff, she felt in order to have adequate time to get amendments to the Commission and translation of amendments to Spanish, mid-October is when final recommendations should be presented. CRC Facilitator Rosenthal shared this is a target outside date, and they can always present amendments earlier. If they go past the October meeting, then they risk running out of time if there are any issues with the Commission. Chairman Hopper inquired how the board members felt about changing their meeting time to 6:30 p.m. and keeping the public comments at 7:00 p.m. Consensus of the members was that 6:30 p.m. would work with them. Motion to change the meeting time for the Charter Review Commission Meetings from 7:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: Moved by Member Griffin, Seconded by Member West; Motion carried 4-0. CRC Facilitator Rosenthal shared that if there are any specific topics that the charter members would like to discuss, please forward them to the clerk as she can add those topics to their action list at any time. Vice-Chair King inquired about the alternate members and their attendance requirements. CRC Facilitator Rosenthal said he does not know if the absence rule applies to this board as it does with the Commission. Chairman Hopper commented that it should not apply to alternate members. CRC Facilitator Rosenthal informed the clerk that she may want to alert the first alternate member when she is aware that a regular member may not be present. Recording Clerk Sibbitt advised that in her e-mail to the board members prior to the meeting, she does ask that you please inform her if you will not be present so that she will be aware if a quorum will be present. As the board was informed that Alternate Member Grogan's work schedule changed thus causing a conflict with this meeting, Recording Clerk Sibbitt said she would reach out to him and see if he would like to be retained on the board. 31 Page Charter Review Board February 15,2017 Chairman Hopper asked Recording Clerk Sibbitt to please read where they left off last month which was C-10, Judge of qualifications. The following sections were briefly discussed: C-11, Eligibility: Chairman Hopper asked the recording clerk to please add this to the action list. C-12, Prohibitions - Item B.: Chairman Hopper asked the recording clerk to please add this to the action list. CRC Facilitator Rosenthal briefed the board on the history of the last paragraph that was added by one of the previous Charter Review Boards. C-16, Salary; expenses: Chairman Hopper asked the recording clerk to please add this to the action list. C-17, Vacancies; forfeiture of office; filling of vacancies - Item C: Chairman Hopper commented that he sees where it states this section was amended but asked the CRC Facilitator for clarification. CRC Facilitator Rosenthal shared that he does not recall if the whole section was added, but he remembers that there was a State statute required for the handling of the vacancies. Assistant City Attorney Crosby-Collier commented that Member West expressed concern with this section of the charter based on the costs of the last special election. She researched what other cities in the county have done and found that most had a one-year period versus the six (6) months. She shared that some cities such as Maitland and Winter Park will vote a successor in to serve until the next general election. If the board decides they will like to make any revisions to this section, there are plenty of ideas within the county. Chairman Hopper asked the recording clerk to please add this to the action list. Brief discussion ensued. Chairman Hopper thanked the recording clerk for reading the charter and advised that next month they will have members come to the meeting with their suggestions for discussion. He reminded the board that the meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. CRC Facilitator Rosenthal shared that they may want to consider having public comments at the end so that it will allow interaction after their discussions. Chairman Hopper commented that if someone from the public came in later in the evening, he would be happy to acknowledge them. Vice-Chair King inquired if the Commission is announcing the Charter Review Meetings at their Commission Meetings. Recording Clerk Sibbitt answered in the affirmative sharing that she gives the Mayor an announcement script to read during their meetings each month with the CRC meeting date. Additionally, the City's website has the meeting date posted and the agenda for this meeting is also posted. 4 IPage Charter Review Board February 15,2017 Chairman Hopper asked the recording clerk if she could please reach out to the elected officials encouraging them to solicit input from residents in their district. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:06 p.m. fivtit .s,Aaa / Melanie Sibbitt, Recording Clerk ichael Hopper, hairman 5 IPage