Proposed Charter Replacement
At the June 7 Council meeting, Ordinance 20, 2012 to authorize a ballot question to “Repeal and Replace” the current city charter that has been in place since 1976 was passed on first reading by a vote of 4-0 (Eric Jablin was absent). Many citizens turned out to oppose or question this move.
As a result of the citizens who spoke out, the City Attorney, Max Lohman, conducted an informational meeting on June 27th, and provided office hours for those who wanted to meet with him individually.
The charter information page for the city includes links to the existing charter, an annotated version of changes to the existing charter, a revised version of Ordinance 20, 2012 (post first-reading) and a revised version of the proposed new charter (post first-reading). For those of you who were unable to attend the informational meeting held on June 27th – there is also a complete audio of the meeting.
The 2nd reading of Ordinance 20, 2012 will be held on Thursday, July 12th at the City Hall, as part of the normal monthly City Council meeting.
There are now two ballot propositions:
PROPOSITION ONE
SHALL THE CITY CHARTER OF THE CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS, ADOPTED IN 1976, BE AMENDED AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 1 OF ORDINANCE 20,2012 OF THE CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS?
___ YES – In favor of adopting amendments to the City Charter
___ NO – Not in favor of adopting amendments to the City Charter
and
PROPOSITION TWO
SHALL THE SECOND PARAGRAPH OF ARTICLE IV, SECTION 4-1 OF THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA BE AMENDED AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 3 OF ORDINANCE 20,2012 OF THE CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS TO PROVIDE THAT THE METHOD OF ELECTION OF CITY COUNCILMEMBERS SHALL BE BY A PLURALITY VOTE RATHER THAN BY A MAJORITY VOTE?
___ YES – In favor of adopting amendment to the City Charter
___ NO – Not in favor of adopting amendment to the City Charter
CLICK HERE for the complete Agenda Item including the discussion of the 1st reading, the public meeting, the proposed roll-out schedule and the Ordinance 20, 2012 as well as exhibit A.
Materials Developed by PBGWatch Team
- Summary of Substantive and Technical Issues in Proposed Charter Revision, from Meg Shannon
- Summary of Substantive and Technical Issues in Proposed Charter Revision, 6/24/12 Update from Meg Shannon after meeting with City Attorney
Reference Material
- Meg suggested that the Florida Municipal Officials’ Manual, developed by the League of Cities, provides an excellent reference to understand the structure, roles and powers of city government.