At its Monday night meeting, the Safety Harbor City Commission received the draft of recommendations from the city's Charter Review Committee and provided feedback.
The Charter Review Committee is convened every 10 years to review the city's Charter and make recommendations to Commission on any changes to put on the March ballot.
The Committee recommended to Commission:
- Updating gender references in the Charter
- Add a new section protecting Baranoff Park
- Clarifying that "days" means "business days" in the citizen initiative process
- Requiring Commission to solicit a pool of applicants before filling a Commission vacancy
- Adding terms limits to Mayor and Commission seats
- Adjusting the qualifying period for candidates to avoid holidays
Additionally, the committee advised Commission that the Charter requires a review of city ordinances and codes every five years.
The suggestion for term limits was the hot topic among Commissioners, with Mayor Joe Ayoub and Commissioner Cliff Merz against it, and Vice Mayor Andy Steingold and Commissioner Carlos Diaz open to the idea with changes.
The committee will hold its final meeting at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at City Hall, and provide its final recommendations to Commission for approval or denial at Commission's Oct. 16 meeting. Any recommendations approved by Commission will appear on the March 2024 ballot.