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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-06-04 Charter Review Board Agenda Meeting Packet AGENDA CITY OF DANIA BEACH CHARTER REVIEW BOARD THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2015 – 6:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order/Roll Call 2. Approval of Minutes from May 21, 2015 Meeting 3. Discussion Items 3.1 Part II – Legislative Branch and Legislation, Article 1. – City Commission 3.2 Part VI – Registrations and Elections, Article 1. – Elections 4. Public Comments 5. Adjournment MINUTES DANIA BEACH CHARTER REVIEW BOARD THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2015 – 6:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order/Roll Call Chair Joe Van Eron called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. Present: Carolyn Jones David Clark Betty Sokol (Alternate) Charlotte Sloboda Luis Rimoli Terry Hale-Hicks Derrick Hankerson Anne Castro, Vice-Chair Chris Barile (Alternate) Rae Sandler Joe Van Eron, Chair Bruce Hannover (Alternate) Tom Ansbro, City Attorney Louise Stilson, City Clerk Absent: Lisa Duke (excused) Gail Davison (Alternate) Vice-Chair Anne Castro motioned to excuse the absence of Lisa Duke; seconded by Board member Derrick Hankerson. The motion passed unanimously. Chair Joe Van Eron asked the members if they were okay if all members, including alternates voted tonight. The board had no objections. City Attorney Ansbro advised the board that they are subject to the Sunshine Law, and there should be no communication between members on items that might come before them for discussion; it is a crime. Chair Joe Van Eron recapped what was discussed at the last meeting:  Consider seats, not districts  4 year Mayor  Keep terms as they are  Keep November Elections  Keep age at 21  3 year residency requirement, demonstrated by voter registration Tonight’s goal is to identify major issues; the first thing to discuss is seats. City Attorney Ansbro expressed his concern with keeping the age at 21. He wanted the minutes to reflect that it is not to disqualify people who are 18, but that we really want a 3 year residency requirement as demonstrated by voter registration. He will investigate to see if this is defensible. 2. Approval of Minutes from May 7, 2015 Meeting Vice-Chair Anne Castro motioned to approve the minutes; seconded by Board member Luis Rimoli. The motion passed unanimously. 3. Discussion Items 3.1 Part II – Legislative Branch and Legislation, Article 1. – City Commission Chair Joe Van Eron opened the floor for discussion for a 4 year term mayor and at large seats. Discussion among the board included the pros and cons of seats, versus everyone running at large:  People have a hard time remembering which person is up for election  People will not be confused as to how many people to vote for  How do people determine which seat to run for  Seats would still be at large  Mayor would be elected separately for a 4 year term City Attorney Ansbro will survey other cities with seats to see how it works. Vice-Chair Anne Castro questioned who would become vice-mayor if we elected a mayor and had seats. Board member Chris Barile commented that whatever we do with the mayor position will affect the entire election process. Board member Charlotte Sloboda motioned to form seats for the remaining four positions; seconded by Vice-Chair Anne Castro. The motion failed 3-9 on the following vote: Carolyn Jones No David Clark No Charlotte Sloboda Yes Luis Rimoli No Terry Hale-Hicks Yes Bruce Hannover No Derrick Hankerson Yes Anne Castro No Rae Sandler No Joe Van Eron No Betty Sokol No Vice-Chair Anne Castro motioned to reconsider a 4 year term mayor. After discussion as to who can motion to reconsider a motion, and if all members should be allowed to vote on items that were discussed at meetings at which they were not present, she withdrew the motion. The board agreed that only someone on the prevailing side of a motion could bring the item back for reconsideration at the next meeting. Board member Terry Hale-Hicks motioned to reconsider the 4 year mayor; seconded by Board member Luis Rimoli for discussion. The board members discussed why the alternate members were allowed to vote. Discussion ensued that rules were established and we should follow the rules. Everybody gets to speak, but alternates will not vote unless they are filling in for a regular member. The board concurred that Chris Barile would be the voting member for Lisa Duke tonight. Board member Luis Rimoli requested clarification that once the board agrees on something for the commission to consider, we are done talking about it. City Attorney Ansbro recommended that the board adopt as a rule, that motions made at the previous meeting can be brought for reconsideration by a person on the prevailing side. Board member Luis Rimoli stated it is important that the entire board vote. Vice-Chair Anne Castro asked if we could follow motions through to their logical conclusions. The motion passed on the following 10-0 vote: Carolyn Jones Yes David Clark Yes Charlotte Sloboda Yes Luis Rimoli Yes Terry Hale-Hicks Yes Chris Barile Yes Derrick Hankerson Yes Anne Castro Yes Rae Sandler Yes Joe Van Eron Yes Board member Terry Hale-Hicks motioned for a 4 year mayor to include a 2 year vice-mayor term. Vice-Chair Anne Castro seconded the motion with a friendly amendment to include an 8 year term limit, regardless of which seat they are in. The motion was withdrawn in order for the board to vote on each item individually. Board member Terry Hale-Hicks motioned for a 4 year mayor position; seconded by Vice- Chair Anne Castro. The motion passed on the following 7-3 vote: Carolyn Jones Yes David Clark No Charlotte Sloboda Yes Luis Rimoli Yes Terry Hale-Hicks Yes Chris Barile No Derrick Hankerson Yes Anne Castro Yes Rae Sandler No Joe Van Eron Yes Board member Luis Rimoli motioned that the highest vote-getter for commissioner would become vice-mayor for a 2 year term; seconded by Board member Charlotte Sloboda. The motion passed on the following 7-3 vote: Carolyn Jones Yes David Clark No Charlotte Sloboda Yes Luis Rimoli Yes Terry Hale-Hicks Yes Chris Barile No Derrick Hankerson Yes Anne Castro Yes Rae Sandler No Joe Van Eron Yes Board member Charlotte Sloboda motioned for terms to be 8 consecutive years in office (two 4-year terms), regardless of which position, mayor or commissioner, with 2 years off before running again; seconded by Board member Luis Rimoli. The motion passed on the following 6-4 vote: Carolyn Jones Yes David Clark No Charlotte Sloboda Yes Luis Rimoli Yes Terry Hale-Hicks Yes Chris Barile No Derrick Hankerson Yes Anne Castro No Rae Sandler No Joe Van Eron Yes 3.2 Part VI – Registrations and Elections, Article 1. - Elections Chairman Joe Van Eron opened the floor for discussion regarding a vacancy on the commission. Board member Charlotte Sloboda provided a copy of her suggestions on filling a vacancy, which is attached to and made a part of these minutes. Board member Rae Sandler stated the vacancy should be filled by the people. If the seat is vacated 18 months after the election, the next person with the most votes would fill the seat. Anything after that, or if the commission can’t come to consensus, you go to a special election. Board member Bruce Hannover said the most equitable solution would be to go to the last election and fill the vacancy with the next person. Board member David Clark likes the wording in the process for the City of Miami. Board member Charlotte Sloboda noted that special elections are costly. Board member Chris Barile also likes the City of Miami process. Board member Luis Rimoli likes the City of Miami process, however, he is against spending money for a special election; there should be language in the Charter that mandates how to fill the vacancy. Board member David Clark said the City should pay for a special election. Vice-Chair Anne Castro proposed that if it is the Mayor vacancy, the Vice-Mayor takes the seat; which leaves an open commission seat. Then, if the commission seat of the person moving up has less than a year, then the commission has 30-60 days to make an appointment. If they don’t make the appointment within 60 days, we go to a special election. If it is more than a year left on the term, you go to special election. Board member Rae Sandler said we should stand on our own and not follow other cities. Within a certain time frame (12-18 months from the last election), the person with the next highest number of votes takes the seat. This would eliminate a special election and take the pressure off the commission. If it is past that time, or the person cannot do it, then we go to special election. 4. Public Comments Mimi Donly said she likes what Rae Sandler had to say. Patty Hart commented that if somebody fills the commission vacancy, they should not be penalized from fulfilling two 4-year terms. The board discussed that the Charter should require the Commission to have a workshop to establish a definitive process to fill the vacancy. A vacancy on the Commission would be filled in the following manner:  One year or more, it would go to a special election.  6 months or less: go to the highest vote-getter in the last election; if that doesn’t work, then the Commission will have a definitive timeframe to define a process and accomplish the goal. If it is not accomplished in that time, it triggers a special election. Chair Joe Van Eron noted that we do not have a lot of major issues to hold a workshop with the Commission, and our meetings are scheduled through the month of July. He recommended that the board aim to have their work done in the 90 day timeframe. City Attorney Ansbro will recommend that the Commission extend the term of the board through February 2016. The board agreed they would keep to the current schedule through the end of July. 5. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:03 p.m. Joe Van Eron, Chair Approved: