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04/27/1998CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE CITY OF CLEARWATER April 27, 1998 Present: Timothy A. Johnson, Jr. Committee Member Carolyn Warren Committee Member Jackie Tobin Committee Member Richard Fitzgerald Committee Member William Justice Committee Member Mayme Hodges Committee Member Grant Petersen Committee Member Pat Greer Committee Member Douglas Hilkert Committee Member Judy Mitchell Committee Member J. B. Johnson City Commissioner Michael Roberto City Manager (Arrived 4:30pm) Pamela Akin City Attorney Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk Brenda Moses Board Reporter The meeting was called to order by the City Clerk at 4:07 p.m. at the Clearwater East Library, 2251 Drew Street. ITEM #1 - Introduction - Cyndie Goudeau, City Clerk Everyone introduced themselves and City Clerk Cyndie Goudeau thanked them for serving on this committee. She explained this committee was formed to take a global look at the Charter, identify changes that will facilitate the City's Vision and implementation of One City. One Future. ITEM #2 - Video Regarding Clearwater's Vision Members viewed a 10-minute video of Clearwater's Vision for the future. ITEM #3 - One City. One Future. - Mike Roberto, City Manager City Manager Mike Roberto said One City. One Future. involves long-term planning. The City is producing video tapes regarding the conceptual plan and public input is being obtained in an effort to ensure the success of the concept. The City must involve the community and address the intense competition posed by other cities. All areas of the City are interrelated and every area of the community has a stake on what happens in all other areas of the community. He reviewed 5 key areas that will be addressed: 1) Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard enhancements to define Clearwater's character and improve traffic flow; 2) downtown improvements to define the community, give people a reason to visit, and improve economic and quality of life opportunities; 3) address factors regarding the Clearwater beach area, including the waterfront; 4) North Greenwood is most impacted by downtown changes and provides the best opportunities for positive changes; and 5) revision of the Land Development Code to facilitate redevelopment. In response to a question, the City Manager said some items in the Charter may have been useful years ago, however, a variety of issues need to go to referendum according to the current Charter. ITEM #4 - Commission's Charge to the Committee Some suggested areas of review are purchasing and property provisions, emergency and maintenance dredging, lease uses, and term limits. ITEM #5 - Organization Issues A. Elect Chairperson Member Hodges moved to nominate Timothy Johnson as Chair. The motion was duly seconded. William Justice moved to close the nomination. As no objections were voiced, Mr. Johnson was elected as chairperson. B. Staff Roles Ms. Goudeau will be the Committee's liaison, supplying necessary information to members and producing the meeting agenda. A Board Reporter will be present at all meetings, producing summarized minutes of each meeting for members' approval. The City Attorney will serve as a resource on legal issues. The City Attorney reviewed the Sunshine Law as it applies to all members. C. Strategies for the Review At the next meeting the committee should determine: 1) what constitutes a quorum; 2) establish rules of procedure; 3) set a meeting schedule; and 4) determine if public input is periodically necessary. It was suggested the committee review individual sections of the Charter. It was noted some items in the current Charter could be better served by ordinances and deleted from the Charter entirely. One member suggested the rights of taxpayers and property owners and similar issues be considered for incorporation into the Charter. It was requested the City provide the committee with notebooks for each member to maintain all pertinent Charter Review Committee information. D. Meeting Schedule It was requested that members receive a minimum of 2 weeks notice for each meeting. Consensus was to schedule the next meeting for 4:00 p.m. on May 11, 1998, in the downtown area. The City Clerk will inform members of the exact location. E. Agenda for Next Meeting It was requested staff provide members with a list of specific Charter issues they believe need to be addressed. In response to a question, the City Attorney said no model charters exist for committee use. She will provide the committee with excerpts of other cities' charters that are substantially different than Clearwater's. ITEM #6 - Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 5:13 p.m.