HOLMES BEACH – Last year’s election left city leaders in a bit of a pickle. While there’s been no shortage of people volunteering for most of the city’s volunteer boards, the charter review commission is another story, with only one candidate, William Romberger, running to fill the five-person CRC.
Romberger is currently running for election to the city commission in 2024. Now city commissioners are considering a change to the charter to help fill the board in coming years.
During a June 11 work session, City Attorney Erica Augello presented commissioners with two charter amendment options.
The first option allows city commissioners to appoint the five members of the CRC by a supermajority vote instead of the members having to run for office and be elected by voters. If the five people appointed are unwilling to serve, the city’s charter would not be reviewed in that year. Currently, the Holmes Beach city charter is scheduled to be reviewed every five years without exception. This is the first time the charter has not been reviewed as scheduled since the city’s incorporation.
The second option presented by Augello leaves the election of CRC members as-is, requiring them to run for office during a general election cycle and be selected by voters. If there are fewer than five qualified candidates, the charter would not be reviewed during that fifth-year cycle as scheduled.
Neither option would change the requirement for any proposed charter amendment to be approved by a supermajority vote (four of five) of city commissioners before being put to the voters for final approval on the next general election ballot.
Augello said that the two options she presented are intended to start the discussion with city commissioners. Once commissioners make a decision, they would need to get the suggestion in ordinance form to be approved and then put on the November ballot for approval or rejection by voters. She added that the deadline for the 2024 general election ballot is Aug. 19.
“I think it’s important that we move forward with this,” Commissioner Terry Schaefer said. “I think it’s very important that we have a charter review every five years.”
Commissioner Carol Soustek said that she felt some people shied away from applying for the CRC because they would have to run for election.
Mayor Judy Titsworth said she was in favor of the first option which would allow city commissioners or the mayor to nominate members of the CRC with each nomination approved by a supermajority vote.
Commissioners agreed to move forward with the first option suggested by Augello to allow for the CRC members to be nominated by city commissioners and approved by a supermajority vote with the charter review to be skipped if not enough people step forward for consideration. Augello said she would look into whether city commissioners could take part as members of the CRC or if it would be considered dual office holding.
