Charter Review Commission Minutes
Aug. 8, 2005

Volusia County Chair Frank Bruno convened the Organizational Meeting of the Volusia County Charter Review Commission at 6:37 p.m.  The meeting was held at the Daytona Beach International Airport, Volusia Room, Daytona Beach, Florida. 

 Mr. Bruno called the roll and welcomed members Dr. T. Wayne Bailey, William Scovell, Alex Ford, Clarence Davenport, Glenn Storch, Ezell Reaves, Patricia Drago, Joseph Benedict, Dr. Philip T. Fleuchaus, John Graham, Thomas McClelland, Patricia Northey, Charles Matousek and Richard Gunter.  Member Peter Heebner’s absence was excused.  Mr. Bruno also recognized attending Volusia County Council members Joie Alexander, Dwight Lewis, Art Giles, Jack Hayman and Bill Long as well as County Manager Cindy Coto, County Attorney Dan Eckert, Assistant County Manager Matt Greeson, and Assistant to the County Manager Betty Holness. He noted that Ms. Holness would be serving as administrative support to the Charter Review Commission.  Also present were Recording Secretary Camilla Grasso and members of the press and public.

After thanking the Commission members for their service to Volusia County, Mr. Bruno asked each of them to present a short, personal background, including any expectations they might have about the goals of the Commission.

The personal statements were given and Mr. Bruno called upon Mr. Greeson to give an overview of the Charter Review Process.  Mr. Greeson stated that Section 1303 of the Charter outlined the different provisions for its amendment, and that the Charter Review Process itself was one of them.  He noted that the Charter Review Commission was given one year from its first meeting to give to the County Council any recommendations for amendments to the Charter, and that the County Council was required to hold a minimum of three public hearings on those recommendations.  Mr. Greeson stated that the public hearings were forums for the recommended changes to be heard.  After conducting the hearings, the County Council is obligated to schedule a referendum on the proposed Charter amendments at the next general election. 

Mr. Greeson added that the Charter Review Commission’s first order of business would be to elect the Chair and Vice-Chair.  The second would be the creation of subcommittees and the adoption of rules of procedure. After the Commission’s recommendations are forwarded to the County Council, Mr. Greeson said the public hearings would most likely be held in August and September 2006. A Resolution calling for a referendum would be presented in September or early October and the referendum with the Charter amendments would be placed before the voters on the November 2006 general election ballot.

Mr. Eckert gave an overview of the Sunshine Law to the Commission.  He stated that the Charter Review Commission was subject to the Sunshine Law, and therefore its meetings had to be noticed, held in a public place and minutes must be taken.  He added that the same ruling held for any subcommittees that the Commission formed.  He recommended the Commission members refer to their Sunshine Law manuals, and noted that they could not discuss the review process with each other or use an intermediary to do so.  He said that if any member had a Charter Review question he or she should direct it to County staff. He and Assistant County Attorney Rick Karl would be available as required to provide such services.  Mr. Greeson stated that the County Manager’s staff would also give full support to the Commission. Mr. McClelland asked if County staff would also handle the notification and minute taking of the subcommittee meetings, and Mr. Greeson replied affirmatively.

Mr. Storch noted that the Commission’s By-Laws included the provision for the appointment of a Secretary. Mr. Eckert said the Commission could appoint one if it desired or the County would provide a Recording Secretary.  Dr. Bailey said that County staff has provided recording secretaries since the first Charter Review Commission and that has worked very well.  The general consensus was to continue that practice.

Mr. Bruno called for nominations for the Chair of the Charter Review Commission.  Mr. Gunter nominated Mr. Graham, and Dr. Bailey nominated Mr. Scovell.  Mr. Bruno noted that nominations did not require a second, as do motions.  Mr. Gunter then moved to close the nominations for Chair and Dr. Fleuchaus seconded the motion.  Mr. Bruno asked for a show of hands for the election of Mr. Graham, and Dr. Fleuchaus, Mssrs. Benedict, Matousek, Storch, Gunter and Ms. Northey voted for him.  Mr. Bruno then asked for a show of hands for the election of Mr. Scovell, and Dr. Bailey, Mssrs. Davenport, Ford, Scovell, Reaves, McClelland and Ms. Drago voted for him. The vote was 7 for Mr. Scovell and 6 for Mr. Graham, thereby electing Mr. Scovell as Chair.  Mr. Graham abstained from voting. 

Mr. Bruno called for nominations for the Vice-Chair of the Commission.  Mr. Ford nominated Mr. Graham.  Mr. McClelland nominated Mr. Ford, who declined the nomination.  Dr. Fleuchaus moved to close the nominations for Vice-Chair and Mr. Reaves seconded the motion, thereby electing Mr. Graham as Vice-Chair. 

Mr. Bruno turned the meeting over to Chair Scovell, who stated that he felt the full Commission should meet once a month at various locations around the County, to be determined by the County Manager’s staff.  He stated that the Commission members will need to decide which subcommittees they would like to serve on. Once the subcommittees have been identified, each member will be asked to number their choices in order of preference.  Chair Scovell also asked to be informed if anyone was planning a vacation within the next four to six weeks.

Chair Scovell noted that Robert’s Rules of Order would be followed at all meetings and placed emphasis on the importance of everyone’s attendance at every single meeting.  Discussion ensued among members regarding meeting dates, times and locations, as well as subcommittee topics. There was a consensus that the Commission members would like to receive input from citizens before determining the subcommittees to be formed. The Commission decided to hold five public listening sessions in August, one in each of the County Council districts, and to decide on the subcommittee topics at the next Commission meeting.  Mr. McClelland made a motion, seconded by Mr. Davenport, that Chair Scovell, Ms. Holness and Ms. Grasso would identify available meeting locations, dates and times in each district and to forward this information to the Commission members, who would review it for possible conflicts with his or her schedule.  In the event a member could not attend one of the five meetings, it would be considered an excused absence.  The Commission members unanimously voted in favor of the motion. The public listening sessions would be videotaped. If any member were unable to attend any of these meetings, the videotapes would be available for them to review.

The Commission members discussed how to receive input on the Charter from County Council members.  Mr. Bruno stated that he intended to give his input both as a citizen and as a County Council member.  Mr. McClelland suggested that a formal notice should be sent to all elected officials to encourage them to attend and provide their input at the listening session in their respective Council district.  Ms. Northey noted that the general meetings of the Commission should be rotated from the east to the west side of the County and that the public meetings should be held at a time the public could attend, such as 6:30 p.m. After more general discussion, it was decided that the next Charter Review Commission meeting would be at 5:30 p.m., September 6, 2005, at a location to be determined.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.

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