Charter Review Commission

Thursday, October 5, 2023 6:00 PM SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA COUNTY SERVICES BUILDING 1101 EAST FIRST STREET SANFORD, FLORIDA 32771 1468 BCC Chambers Charter Review Commission Meeting Minutes Charter Review Commission Meeting Minutes October 5, 2023 Page 1 of 1 Charter Review Commission Meeting Minutes October 5, 2023 1. Call to Order/Roll Call -Chairman Amy Lockhart Angela R. Fleming, Colleen Hufford, Emily Tallman, Tom O' Hanlon, Michelle Smith, John Horan, Deborah Bauer, Nicole Martz, Marilyn E. Crotty, Robin Dehlinger, Russell "Rusty" Roberts, Scott Culp, Sean Barth, and Carissa Lawhun Present Additional Attendees: Chairman of the BCC Amy Lockhart, County Attorney Kate Lattore, Senior Assistant County Attorney Desmond Morrell, Assistant County Manager Meloney Koontz, Clerk of Court and Comptroller Grant Maloy, Inspector General Randy Nunley, and Deputy Clerk Kyla Farrell. Board of County Commissioners Chairman Amy Lockhart addressed the Commission and thanked the members for serving on the committee. She advised because there is not yet a designated Chairman of the committee by default, she will call the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. Pledge of Allegiance Mr. Roberts led the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. Welcome - Chairman Amy Lockhart Ms. Lockhart welcomed the Charter Review Commission and noted the members have been selected by the Board of County Commissioners because they trust their judgment, and they want them to do work independent from potential overreach. She pointed out this is an incredibly eclectic, accomplished group of people who all come from very different perspectives. There may be some things that are very tedious, and that's okay as long as the work that is done and all of the perspectives are valued. She wants to make sure that everyone feels like they have the ability to share their perspective on things that they see as important for Seminole County's future. 4. Self-Introduction of Charter Review Commission Members At the request of Ms. Lockhart, each member provided a brief self-introduction. 5. Election of Chair and Vice Chair - Kate Latorre, County Attorney County Attorney Kate Latorre addressed the Commission and explained the process to elect the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Commission. She noted under Robert's Rules, the nomination does not need a second. Ms. Latorre opened the floor for nominations for the Chairman of the Charter Review Commission. Mr. O'Hanlon nominated John Horan; and hearing no other nominations, Ms. Latorre closed nominations. All members in attendance voted AYE in favor of Mr. Horan. Ms. Latorre opened the floor for nominations for the Vice Chairman of the Charter Review Commission. Ms. Martz nominated Michelle Smith. Mr. O'Hanlon nominated Nicole Martz, but Ms. Martz Page 1 of 3 Charter Review Commission Meeting Minutes October 5, 2023 declined the nomination. Hearing no other nominations, Ms. Latorre closed nominations. All members in attendance voted AYE in favor of Ms. Smith. 6. Purpose of the Commission - Desmond Morrell, Sr. Assistant County Attorney Senior Assistant County Attorney Desmond Morrell addressed the Commission and discussed the purpose of the Charter Review Commission. 7. Sunshine Law and Public Records Act - Desmond Morrell, Sr. Assistant County Attorney Mr. Morrell reviewed the Sunshine and Public Records Law powerpoint (included in the CRC binder; binder received and filed), and answered any questions the Commission had. 8. Administrative/Financial Support - Meloney Koontz, Assistant County Manager Assistant County Manager Meloney Koontz addressed the Commission to discuss administrative and financial support for the commission members. She explained the process for selecting outside counsel, and there was consensus that they would like to go forward with the process. Ms. Koontz discussed how the County notices CRC meetings. She advised in their binder they will find the proposed rules of procedure. She asked the members to review that document so they can discuss at the next meeting whether or not that is something they want to follow. She noted the binder has several documents including a welcome letter; biographies for the BCC, County Attorney's Office, and County Manager's Office; organizational charts; information about the Constitutional Officers; and Charters from other counties. Ms. Koontz turned the meeting over to Chairman Horan. 9. Develop and Approve Meeting Schedule - CRC Chair Discussion ensued regarding virtual attendance, physical attendance, what qualifies as a quorum, and the meeting schedule. Motion by Ms. Crotty, seconded by Mr. O'Hanlon, to approve a physical presence of a quorum defined as 50% plus 1 (8 members). All members in attendance voted AYE. Motion by Mr. Culp, seconded by Ms. Martz, to allow for virtual participation of CRC members, but those attending virtually are not allowed to vote. Under discussion, they discussed why a member participating virtually would not be able to vote. All members in attendance voted AYE. Motion by Ms. Martz, seconded by Mr. O'Hanlon, to approve and accept the proposed language for Rule 10 related to absences, and confirm that a virtual attendance is considered an absence. Under discussion, they discussed the difference between excused and unexcused absences. Ms. Smith pointed out they may be risking overregulating themselves. Ms. Martz amended her motion to remove the language regarding virtual attendance therefore moving to approve and accept the proposed language for Rule 10 related to Page 2 of 3 Charter Review Commission Meeting Minutes October 5, 2023 absences, and the seconder agreed. All members in attendance voted AYE. Upon inquiry, Mr. Morrell advised ministerial discussion is out of the realm of the Sunshine Law, so it is okay for a member to let the Chairman know if they are going to be absent . Chairman Horan stated they need time to review the rules of procedure, so he will defer the adoption of them until the next meeting. Regarding scheduling, the CRC is allowed to make their own schedule and adjust it; but the next meeting is scheduled for October 19 at 6:00 p.m. Discussion ensued regarding schedule and dates members cannot attend, and the Chairman advised they can deal with that as it comes up. There was consensus to continue meetings every two weeks until there is a need to change that. Ms. Martz suggested they come up with a plan of attack for considering issues for the Charter so they could have a better understanding of what the meeting schedule needs to be . The agenda for the next two meetings was discussed. Ms. Crotty suggested the Commission review the National Civic League's Model City Charter, and Ms. Martz requested Ms. Koontz provide that to the Commission. Ms. Bauer requested the minutes from the last two or three Charter seasons. Motion by Mr. O'Hanlon to approve a time limit of CRC meetings to two hours, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Under discussion, it was determined they would not limit public comment or public hearings. They agreed they could make a motion during a meeting to extend the time if needed. Motion seconded by Mr. Roberts. All members in attendance voted AYE. Ms. Dehlinger noted she cannot attend the next two meetings either physically or virtually. Mr. O'Hanlon requested hard copies of any CRC material, and Chairman Horan advised he too prefers hard copies. The Chairman announced the agenda for the next meeting is to adopt the rules of procedure and discuss the scope for an RFP to hire outside counsel. Ms. Martz advised for the interest of the public, she would like to have a good understanding at the November 2 meeting of the schedule for the following three meetings and a list of topics the members want to bring forward. That way, the public can make a determination whether or not they have an interest in attending. 10. Public Comment Seeing no public in the room, there was no call for public comment. 11. Adjournment Motion by Mr. O'Hanlon, seconded by Ms. Martz, to adjourn. All members in attendance voted AYE, and Chairman Horan declared the meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m., this same date. Page 3 of 3