The City Commission has faced issues with home rule, specifically with the election process and meeting agendas.
Before the end of the week, state legislators will have a letter signed by Mayor Rick Lott voicing the City Commission’s opposition to state interference in city matters and state infringement on home rule.
Though city commissioners have been individually sending letters and making phone calls to state legislature for some time, commissioners decided to take a unified action at the City Commission meeting Monday, Feb. 8.
Former Plant City mayor John Dicks, a Democrat who recently announced his candidacy for the District 6 Hillsborough County Commission seat, spoke to the City Commission on Monday about Tallahassee’s conflicting legislature with home rule.
Home rule is defined as the individual governance of a region by its own citizens, provided that the citizens and local government obey state and federal laws.
While Florida is a home rule state, Florida cities are facing additional legislative action from the state legislature. Currently, the City Commission meeting agenda is set by the state — everything from the welcome and invocation to the meeting’s adjournment. In Tallahassee, a bill is being pushed that would make certain cities hold their elections at the same time as larger elections.
“What we’re seeing a continuance of is Tallahassee taking authority away from local governments and putting authority in Tallahassee.”
— Rick Lott, Plant City mayor
“No city or county can set their own elections,” Dicks said. “I don’t want to see Tallahassee telling us what we can and can’t do.”
For City Commissioners and local residents, the issue is about more than just the lack of consideration for home rule. If the elections were moved so that they were held in the fall, Plant City’s Commission would have to move from three-year terms to four-year terms. Furthermore, candidates on the ballot for local city offices would be at the very end of the ballot, listed after the referendums. City Commissioners are concerned that their priorities, platforms and goals for the city would fall to the wayside compared to the more prominent, national items on the ballot.
“Tallahassee shouldn’t be telling us how long our terms should be,” Lott said. “We’ve been making phone calls … tonight we wanted to take formal action.”
After Dicks spoke, the Commission agreed that immediate action needed to be taken. Because the final 2016 session date for the Florida House and Senate is in mid-March, the Commission decided to send the letter as quickly as possible.
“I agree with what John Dicks said,” City Commissioner Billy Keel said. “I think it is a shame what the state legislature is trying to do to us. I’m completely opposed to it.”
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
IN OTHER NEWS
Frack is Whack
C.L. Townsend approached the City Commission at the Feb. 8 meeting about Florida’s position on fracking, the process of using chemically treated water to break open rock formations and release oil and natural gases. A bill that would create regulations around fracking was passed in the Florida House of Representatives but has yet to be voted on in the Senate.
Townsend came to the meeting to ask the City Commission to take a stance on fracking. He gave City Commissioners a proposed resolution supporting a statewide ban on fracking.
“To my knowledge, Plant City is the lone holdout in Hillsborough County among the city and county bodies about this matter,” Townsend said. “You have an opportunity to speak on behalf of your constituents to help avoid the problems associated with fracking.”
City Commissioners decided to do further research before taking a position on fracking. City Attorney Ken Buchman agreed to bring back information from both the Florida House and Senate to the City Commission.
Abridged Version
Mark Hudson, director of the City of Plant City’s Planning and Zoning Division, presented updates made to Imagine 2040: The Plant City Comprehensive Plan (previously called the Comprehensive Plan for the City of Plant City) for City Commission approval.
Updates made to the plan included eliminating redundancies, utilizing user-friendly language and consolidating goals. The updated plan also focuses on priority areas in Plant City, such as County Line Road. The plan was consolidated from 634 pages to 314 pages. The City Commission approved the updates.
