ANNA MARIA – Six potential charter amendments and an additional recommendation proposed by the charter review committee have been presented for city commission consideration.
Charter Review Committee Chair Chris Arendt presented the proposed amendments to the city commission on April 11.
The commission can accept, reject or modify any or all of the committee’s proposed charter amendments and future commission discussion and decision-making is still needed.
Any charter amendments supported by the commission will be placed before the city’s registered voters on the fall ballot. The commission can also propose additional amendments of its own to place on the ballot.
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS
The first proposed amendment is a response to state legislators who may seek the future consolidation or elimination of the three Anna Maria Island cities.
The committee proposes inserting into the charter a statement that adds a new reference to home rule while echoing a statement already included in the city’s comprehensive plan: “The city of Anna Maria will ensure that the single-family detached residential character and home rule of the city is maintained and protected while supporting commercial uses within the commercial and ROR land use categories, while maximizing the enjoyment of natural and man-made resources by the citizens and minimizing the threat to health, safety and welfare posed by hazards, nuisances, incompatible land uses and environmental degradation.”
Anna Maria’s comp plan and building codes restrict building heights to three stories, but the comp plan and the building code could be amended by a future commission.
A building height-related charter amendment would ensure that any future changes to the height limit restrictions would require the majority support of Anna Maria’s voters – as long as Anna Maria remains an independent municipality.
The committee proposes charter language similar to this: “Aside from approved exemptions, no building or part thereof shall exceed a height of 37 feet as measured from the crown of the road at the front center of the property to the highest point of any portion of the building.”
The charter currently requires a city ordinance supported by the commission majority to sell or lease a city property. The committee proposes an amendment that would require the unanimous support of all sitting commissioners.
Additional proposed amendments pertain to residency requirements for elected officials after taking office, which commission members can schedule a special commission meeting and which city employees are considered officers of the city.
The committee also recommends eliminating all gender-specific pronouns and replacing them with nouns specific to the title of the person being referenced. City Attorney Becky Vose said eliminating gender-specific pronouns wouldn’t require city voter approval.
COMMISSION FEEDBACK
Commissioner Jon Crane said a charter statement referencing home rule would be an aspirational statement that’s hard to actually implement.
“It says the city will ensure, but how are we going to ensure it? I don’t know how,” Crane said.
Arendt said the committee felt it would be nice to have such a statement in the charter but he concurs that it would be difficult to implement.
Crane expressed initial opposition to requiring the unanimous support of the commission to sell or lease a city property and Commissioner Kathy Morgan agreed. Crane also said he hopes to reduce the number of questions presented to city voters so they have fewer ballot items to focus on.
Raising a concern not addressed by the committee, Commissioner Charlie Salem suggested the commission engage in future discussion about a potential charter amendment that would require an appointed commissioner to face election in the next city election if they wish to remain in office for the remainder of the term they were appointed to – if the remainder of that term extends beyond the next city election.
After noting that similar provisions apply at the federal level, Salem said, “It might give our residents an opportunity to express their will on that office.”
