After a lengthy break due to technical difficulties at city hall, the Pensacola City Council will meet today for its Committee of the Whole. The council will be making appointments to several local boards and commissions, as well as discussing the possibility of municipal charter schools and employing traffic signal cameras as a way to deter drivers from running lights and also raise money for an economic development fund.
The city council has discussed the red-light cameras before. Mayor Ashton Hayward is hoping to use the money generated from tickets issued as a result of installing the cameras—estimated to be about $1 million annually—to fund his economic development fund. The fund would be used to lure businesses to the city.
This week, the council will be considering a resolution that notes the body’s support for installing the cameras. The state of Florida is currently considering legislation that would allow for the devices as a means of enforcement. Because many of the traffic signals that would be rigged with cameras are on state roadways, the city needs the state to green-light the practice before it begins in Pensacola.
The notion of municipal charter schools is a fairly new item on the council’s plate. Councilwoman Megan Pratt suggested the city explore the option earlier this fall.
A municipal charter school is a public school that is organized by the municipality (the city of Pensacola) and operates under a performance contract with the local school board. This afternoon, the council will discuss Pratt’s suggestion that the city could create a charter that might serve some students better than the Escambia County School District is currently.
The council will also be appointing individuals to serve on various boards. Council members will be considering each other’s nominations for the Area Housing Commission, Community Maritime Park Associates Board of Trustees, the Environmental Advisory Board and the Human Relations Commission.
The Pensacola City Council will meet for its Community Redevelopment Agency meeting at 3:15 p.m. at city hall. The COW meeting is held immediately following.