Next Monday, the Pensacola City Council will hold a workshop concerning possible changes to the city charter. The most publicized proposal is to reduce the number of council members from seven to five and eventually increase their salaries to $30,000.
However, council members have put up for discussion 10 other items:
1. City Council confirms appointment of City Administrator
2. City Council determines the organization of the city
3. City Council confirms/consents to hiring/firing of department heads
4. Council President and VP by chosen a rotation basis by district
5. Removal of resolution veto power
6. Creation of an independent personnel board
7. Repeal charter and reinstate council-manager form of government, with five council districts
8. Require mayor to be member of City Council
9. Establish Ethics Anti-corruption code, board, office and campaign finance program
10. City Council appoints City Clerk and City Attorney
Inweekly doesn’t plan to take a position on these items until we’ve heard more discussion, and that’s the problem. Under the council’s new rules, only the council will discuss these items. The public will have little input in the wording of any charter amendments placed on the 2016 General Election ballot.
The “strong mayor” charter was part of an 18-month process during which the public was allowed to offer suggestions and voice their opinions on a regular basis. Since then, the city council has cut its monthly meetings in half and barred citizens from speaking for more than three minutes at most of its meetings.
Rather than take a piecemeal approach to the charter, the mayor and City Council should agree to appoint a new Charter Review Commission that will look at Pensacola city government, listen to the public, and offer recommendations for consideration in a special election in 2017. Then the new changes would be in effect by the time Pensacola voters elect their mayor in 2018.
Workshop agenda: here