The Palm Coast Charter Review Committee completed its initial review of the city charter on November 17, discussing election procedures, budget requirements, and qualifications for the city manager before moving toward a final draft.
Review of Previous Changes
Committee Chair Dr. Dumont opened the meeting by reviewing changes made at the previous session, including clarifying budget message requirements to ensure budget assumptions are included in what city leadership presents to the council.
The committee refined qualifications for the city manager and city attorney to be “more narrow and pertinent” without listing every possible requirement. They also added mandatory annual evaluations for these positions, though the specific evaluation methods can be determined by ordinance or contract.
One key change requires searches for charter officer positions to begin immediately upon vacancy rather than waiting 90 days as currently required.
The committee clarified that the $15 million budget limit applies specifically to the general fund, though they are still awaiting feedback on what an appropriate limit figure would be.
Throughout the charter, the committee replaced the word “electors” with “registered voters” to make the document easier to understand for residents unfamiliar with legal terminology.
Public commenter Genie raised concerns about removing the word “electors,” particularly regarding council members’ voting rights on the panel. The committee explained the change was made because several people expressed confusion about the term’s meaning.
“We had several people speak up who did not know what the word electors meant and they were confused,” a committee member explained. “So we were responding to that confusion by trying to write it in plain English.”
Election Procedures Discussed
The committee reviewed Article 7, Section 6, which covers how candidates are elected to office. Current rules state that if only one candidate qualifies for an office, they are deemed elected without appearing on the ballot.
For primary elections, candidates who receive a majority of votes (50% plus one) are automatically elected without advancing to the general election. If no candidate achieves a majority, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election.
The committee discussed tie-breaking procedures. If two candidates tie for first place in a primary, both advance to the general election. If there’s a tie for second place and the first-place candidate didn’t receive a majority, all tied candidates advance along with the first-place finisher.
Committee members clarified that municipal elections are nonpartisan, meaning independent voters and members of any political party can vote in city races.
Dr. Dumont noted that in 2024, all charter officers in Flagler County were elected without opposition, which received significant news coverage from the Supervisor of Elections office.
General Provisions and Severability
The committee reviewed Article 9 on general provisions, which addresses how city ordinances relate to state and federal law. The charter currently states ordinances “may be supplemental to general law” but cannot diminish state law provisions.
Committee members discussed whether to change “general law” to “state and federal law” for clarity. Dr. Dumont said she would research whether there’s a legal reason the term “general law” is commonly used in charters before making the change.
The committee also reviewed Article 10 on severability, which ensures that if one provision of the charter is found invalid, the remaining provisions remain in effect.
“In other words, if one piece is found illegal or has to be taken down, the rest of it’s fine,” Dr. Dumont explained. “You just need to take out the piece that no longer follows the law.”
Next Steps
Dr. Dumont will compile all agreed-upon changes into a document with strikethrough and underline formatting showing modifications. Highlighted sections will indicate areas requiring further discussion.
The document will include public comments received during meetings, with notes about which topics generated discussion. The city clerk will distribute the draft to committee members.
“I’ll have all of this stuff in those documents and then we can just work on it from there,” Dr. Dumont said.
The draft will be marked clearly as a working document and made available to the public through the city clerk’s office or posted on the city website.
Public commenter Tony Emerald suggested separating clerical corrections like numbering changes from substantive discussion items to speed up the review process at future meetings. Dr. Dumont agreed that simple typos and pagination updates wouldn’t require discussion.
Once the committee completes the final version, they will rank-order changes for presentation to the city council and note which changes should be implemented together for consistency.
The committee has not yet reviewed the preamble or citizens’ bill of rights sections, which Dr. Dumont said will be included in the working draft.
Upcoming Meetings
The Charter Review Committee’s next meeting is scheduled for December 1, followed by another meeting on December 15. The committee will discuss the meeting schedule after the December 1 session based on progress made.
Committee members wished each other a happy Thanksgiving before adjourning the meeting.
The post Palm Coast Charter Review Committee Completes Initial Review, Refines Election and Budget Rules first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
