Charter Review Commission Minutes
Aug. 31, 2005

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Anita Lapidus handout
Bill Bramer handout
Carl Persis handout
Fred Costello handout
Mike Del Ninno handout
 
CALL TO ORDER/REMARKS BY CHAIR  
Charter Review Commission Chair William Scovell convened the listening session at 6:00 p.m.  The meeting was held at the Casements, 25 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach, Florida.  The following members were present:  Chair Scovell, Vice-Chair John Graham, T. Wayne Bailey, Joseph Benedict, Clarence Davenport, Patricia Drago, P. T. Fleuchaus, Richard Gunter, Peter Heebner, Charles Matousek, Tom McClelland and Ezell Reaves.  Members Alex Ford, Patricia Northey and Glenn Storch were excused absences.  Also present were Assistant to the County Manager Betty Holness, Government Relations Manager Dona DeMarsh, Staff Photographer Jeff Crumbley, Administrative Aide Camilla Grasso, members of the press and 25 members of the public.

Chair Scovell welcomed everyone to the fifth and final Public Listening Session and made a few explanatory remarks about the appointment and purpose of the Charter Review Commission.

REMARKS BY ELECTED OFFICIALS
He then called on County Council Member from District Four, Carl Persis, for remarks.  Mr. Persis welcomed members of the audience and thanked them for their attendance, and also thanked the Commission members for their willingness to serve.  He stated that he had gone through the Charter and felt, while it did not need a major overhaul, there were some areas that could be amended.  He distributed a handout listing those areas and briefly went through them.

Upon questioning by several Commission members, Mr. Persis expanded some of his points:  concern that the County Council did not have the same control over the budgets of the departments headed by the Sheriff, Property Appraiser or Supervisor of Elections as it did 1over the budgets of other County departments; that citizens could know their representatives better if there were more, smaller districts; that he could visualize having a strong, elected Chair position; and that the School Board should be able to pass fees or raise school taxes without County Council approval.  Dr. Bailey asked that it be entered into the record that the last topic was probably an issue beyond the Charter because the State legislature had pre-empted the counties by prescribing the procedure necessary to do so.

Dr. Bailey then asked Mr. Persis if he felt that the School Board should also have an elected executive, rather than a Superintendent hired by the School Board. Mr. Persis stated that he did not feel that it would be appropriate at the School Board, only for County Government. Mr. McClelland asked Mr. Persis what he thought of the role of the County Manager in the proposed scenario. Mr. Persis responded that there would not be a manager, but that the Elected Executive would probably hire an assistant or deputy to help with day to day operations.

Chair Scovell then recognized Ormond Beach Mayor Fred Costello, who thanked the Commission members for the work they would be doing.  He noted that growth would be one of the most controversial and powerful issues facing Volusia County over the next 10 years, and distributed a handout outlining his areas of concern.

Chair Scovell noted the purpose of the listening sessions was to hear the thoughts and desires of members of the community in relation to defining the County Charter.  He added the information gathered during the five sessions would be used to help the Commission organize its efforts, such as which committees should be formed and which issues those committees should consider.  He added the end result would be the Commission’s recommendations for Charter changes, if any, which would be put on the November 2006 ballot for the voters’ adoption or rejection.  He stated a few process ground rules, including that each speaker should limit his or her remarks to three minutes, that the Commission would only be listening to the proposals put forth and not debating them, that everyone should be respectful of each other’s time, that those wishing to speak before the Commission must fill out a request form and that each speaker must use the microphone so as to be quoted correctly on the record.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION REMARKS
Chair Scovell called on Bill Bramer to speak first.  He distributed a Power Point handout and briefly spoke about its main topics, which were eminent domain power, consolidating certain departments and relocating others and the process of appointing Personnel Board members.

Mike Del Ninno spoke next.  He stated the County had seen accelerated growth in the last few years and felt it had arrived at a crossroad concerning growth and everything that came with it, such as economic development, water, social services and the like.  He felt the main question to be addressed was if the County would be centralizing or decentralizing, and what the roles of the County and municipalities would be in terms of a blend of consolidation of services.  He stated that the current form of shared government with no accountability was frustrating to the voters and needed to be changed, and that within 10-20 years a new, regional council of governments with decision-making powers would need to be formed to address growth management, land use planning, water, etc., with all types of County-wide entities taking part in the decision-making process.  He also asked the Commission to consider creating a County Council elected-executive form of government that would give real authority to a strong Chair and provide for a clearer separation between legislative and executive powers.

Chair Scovell then called on Bruce Mowry.  He stated that, as Director of the Water Authority of Volusia (WAV), he wished to offer his services to the Commission in any water-related matters.  He noted that he believed in consolidation of services and said that Volusia’s water supply would run out if a plan were not put into place immediately to save it, and asked the Commission to enhance WAV and give it the direction and authority to act as a true, regional water supplier.  Regarding consolidation of services, Vice-Chair Graham stated that he felt the cities had two concerns:  if water management moved out of their control into a consolidated entity, could the municipalities be assured of getting as much water as they currently were; and, two, could they be assured of no financial damage to their respective areas.  He felt if the cities could be convinced of those two items, WAV’s position would be simpler.  Mr. McClelland stated that when the Volusia Water Policy Commission met two years before, it was a Charter Review entity dealing solely with water, and the voters endorsed the idea of a single water management body for the County.  He said that during the discussions that led to the creation of WAV, it was clearly stated that wholesale distribution of water would be the responsibility of WAV and the cities would retain authority to execute retail distribution, and added he felt that some of the current discussions were ignoring those two parts of the history of water review in Volusia County.

 Jerome Axelrod then spoke on the relationship between the Chair and the County Manager.  He felt the Commission should delineate responsibilities between the two and give the Chair the responsibility of running the County.  He also felt the relationship between the Chair and the County Attorney should be further examined.

 Chair Scovell then called Kitty Garber to speak.  She had a handout from Anita Lapidus, Director of Legal Affairs for Florida Fair Elections Coalition.  She also asked the Commission to examine the differences in the responsibilities between the County Chair and the County Manager, and to do the same with the Chair and the County Attorney.  She also felt that At-Large districts did not serve minorities well and that only one At-Large member was needed, the County Chair.

Charles Cuidera then spoke about his concerns on environmental issues.  He added he would like to see election spending guidelines put into place and felt the County Council should be compensated more fairly.  He also felt the Volusia Forever and ECHO projects needed more funding and the County needed to purchase more environmentally-sensitive lands.  He was also concerned with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility, and Urban Growth Boundaries (UGBs).

Chair Scovell then called on John Nicholson to speak.  He urged the Commission to address water conservation and suggested language be put in the Charter that would prohibit the annexation of land needed for rechargeable water out of the County.  He also spoke in favor of consolidation of services, especially in light of improving city-County relations.

Nora Hall was the final speaker, and was in favor of consolidation of services for more efficiency and to strengthen the County as a entity throughout the state.

There being no further speakers, Chair Scovell recognized Mary Jo Stansfield and thanked her for attending the Listening Session and for her many years of community service.  The meeting then adjourned at 7:17 p.m.

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