Charter Review Commission  Minutes
Sept. 26, 2005

Executive Session

CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
Charter Review Commission Chair William Scovell convened the meeting at 5:30 p.m.  in the Volusia County School Facilities Building, 3750 Olson Drive, Daytona Beach, Florida.  All Executive Committee members (Chairs of the Subcommittees) were present, those being, Vice-Chair John Graham, T. Wayne Bailey, Joseph Benedict, Patricia Drago, Alex Ford, and Tom McClelland.  Also present were County Attorney Dan Eckert, Assistant to the County Manager Betty Holness, Assistant County Attorney Rick Karl, Government Relations Manager Dona DeMarsh, Special Projects Coordinator Cindy Finney, Staff Photographer Jeff Crumbley, Administrative Aide Camilla Grasso, and three members of the public.

REMARKS BY CHAIR
Chair Scovell stated that Ms. Holness had done an outstanding job on the agenda and its attachments (enclosed) and summarized the overall responsibilities of the Executive Committee members: to call meetings of their subcommittees, set agendas, select Vice Chairs, and, as needed, adapt any ideas or suggestions brought up at the meetings to facilitate attaining, and even possibly expanding, their goals and areas for consideration.  Chair Scovell cautioned against intruding into other subcommittees’ areas, reminded the members of the time constraint of June, 2006 and urged them to use resource personnel, both private and public, to bring expertise into the discussions. 

GENERAL DISCUSSION
Dr. Bailey asked if funds were available to pay for travel expenses for the resource personnel, if necessary, and Chair Scovell replied in the affirmative.  Mr. McClelland felt all the Charter Review Committee members should be made aware of the information, and Dr. Bailey asked that it be reflected in the minutes.  Dr. Bailey added it also might become necessary to acquire various reading materials, and Ms. Holness noted that the staff liaison assigned to each subcommittee would supply whatever was required.

Dr. Bailey expressed concern over being lobbied and allowing ex parte communication.  Mr. Eckert said since the operation of the Commission was a legislative process as opposed to a quasi-judicial one, there was no prohibition that would prevent a member from having ex parte communication with anyone.  He added that the Commission could set its own policy on the matter, or each member could handle it as he or she saw fit.  Dr. Bailey felt the Commission should establish a policy.  Mr. McClelland suggested the policy be that individuals wishing to communicate with Commission members do so in public at either a subcommittee or full Commission meeting.  Mr. Ford felt the Commission members should be able to receive information however it was offered.  Chair Scovell said he sensed the Commission felt if an individual wished to personally express something to a member in private, that would be acceptable, but if he or she wished to make a proposal it should be done at either a subcommittee or full Commission meeting.  The general consensus was to use that approach.

Mr. Graham asked several questions as to the process involved in setting and holding the subcommittee meetings, and discussion followed about subcommittee reports to the full Commission. Chair Scovell stated that individual reports would be necessary but anything transcending the subcommittees would need coordinating.  Mr. Ford raised the question of combining the Subcommittees on Protecting the Environmental Core, Infrastructure Needs and Integrating Economic Development and Education into a Growth Management and Environmental Subcommittee that would be addressed from both a Charter Review and Ordinance Review perspective, but primarily the latter.  He felt it would remove some of the enormous scope of work for the Ordinance Review and Management Recommendations Subcommittee. Mr. Graham, Chair of the Ordinance/Management Subcommittee, was not in favor of the idea.  Chair Scovell felt that within that Subcommittee, the Management Recommendations section would be the major area to be addressed.  Mr. Eckert pointed out that Minimum Standards for Environmental Protection was already a part of the Charter.  Mr. Ford stated that his objective was to cut down on what he felt were too many subcommittees.  Mr. McClelland agreed that some of the subcommittees could be combined and noted that the “committee of the whole” would be dealing with growth management.  Discussion followed about smart growth and how various areas of the subcommittees could overlap and cross over each other. 

Ms. Drago asked for clarification about the integration of economic development and education.  Chair Scovell replied that the educational system supported economic development by providing a work force, while at the same time the economic development community had to provide the educational system with the type of workers that were needed, thereby creating a synergistic arrangement.  Ms. Holness noted that the three subcommittees under discussion were taken from the Smart Growth Initiative’s Final Report.  Further discussion ensued regarding the probability of one subcommittee making recommendations to other subcommittees.  Chair Scovell was of the opinion that Charter recommendations might be minimal as compared to both management and growth management recommendations, as well as intergovernmental relations. 

Discussion of subcommittee members vs. public resources then followed, with it being established that the subcommittee chairs did not have the latitude to add more members to their respective subcommittees.  The question of “one way e-mail” was brought up.  Mr. Eckert stated that by using staff liaison to communicate general meeting information to members of the subcommittees, the chairs would not be in violation of the Sunshine Law; however, no one could be used as a conduit for voting issues.  Dr. Bailey broached the idea of the Charter Review Commission and the Daytona Beach News Journal or some other entity partnering to create a citizen satisfaction survey.  Mr. Eckert suggested a biennial polling data form that could be provided by County staff which could be used as a starting point for such a survey.

ESTABLISHMENT OF SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING DATES
Discussion then followed to establish subcommittee meeting dates.  Mr. Ford stated he wished to poll his subcommittee members (Protecting the Environmental Core) before deciding on a date, time and place.  The other subcommittees scheduled their meetings as follows:

First Monday of the month, 5:30 p.m., Volusia County School Facilities Building, 3750 Olson Drive, Daytona Beach—Ordinance Review and Management Recommendations

First Wednesday of the month, 5:30 p.m., Volusia County School Facilities Building, 3750 Olson Drive, Daytona Beach—Infrastructure Needs

Second Wednesday of the month, 5:30 p.m., Volusia County School Facilities Building, 3750 Olson Drive, Daytona Beach—Intergovernmental Relationships

Third Monday of the month, 5:30 p.m., Volusia County School Facilities Building, 3750 Olson Drive, Daytona Beach—Structure of Government

Fourth Monday of the month, 5:30 p.m., Volusia County School Facilities Building, 3750 Olson Drive, Daytona Beach—Integrating Economic Development and Education

It was decided that the Executive Committee meetings would be called as needed.  Mr. Benedict asked about meetings of the “committee of the whole” and Chair Scovell replied that could be handled during a portion of the regular meetings of the Charter Review Commission.  He added the first thing necessary was to establish a firm idea of the total subject matter that had been brought forth by the Smart Growth Initiative Committee.  Mr. McClelland suggested the Charter Review Commission adjourn as itself and reconvene as the “Committee of the Whole” for growth management discussion.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:37 p.m.

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