BRADENTON BEACH – The City Commission has appointed a new charter review committee and term limits for elected officials could be one topic for discussion.
Commissioners approved the committee appointments recommended by City Attorney Ricinda Perry and Mayor John Chappie on April 7. The committee consists of former Planning and Zoning Board chairman Dan DeBaun, Jim Hassett, Anne Leister, Tom Little and former city commissioner Ed Straight. Former charter review committee member Debra Cox will serve as the alternate member. The members are all Bradenton Beach residents.
The appointments and charter review process were formalized by the commission’s adoption of city resolution 22-953.
The committee will review and recommend potential amendments to the city charter. The city charter can only be amended by a majority vote of the city’s registered voters.
The Bradenton Beach charter sets forth how the city is governed – a “weak mayor” form of government – and establishes the roles and duties of the city’s elected officials. It also establishes the four existing city commission wards and the term limits that restrict a city commission member to serving three consecutive two-year terms. The charter also contains the building height restrictions that prohibit the construction of high-rise buildings.
According to state law, a city charter must be reviewed at least once every five years. The Bradenton Beach charter was last reviewed four years ago, in 2018. Perry told the commission that conducting the charter review now rather than next year would allow any proposed charter amendment questions to be placed before voters during the upcoming 2022 general elections rather than during a non-general election in 2023.
“We would prefer our charter amendments to go out when there’s a larger voter turnout. It produces a better result for the community,” Perry said.
Perry said the committee will begin meeting later this month and any charter amendments recommended by the committee and supported by the city commission must be submitted to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office in June.
Term limits and ward sequence
Perry recommended the charter review committee discuss the potential elimination of the city’s existing term limits. She noted Bradenton Beach is the only city on Anna Maria Island with term limits.
During the 2021 elections, 177 Bradenton Beach voters (51.75%) opposed eliminating the existing term limits and 165 voters (48.25%) supported eliminating term limits. That charter amendment question was placed on the ballot by the city commission, as allowed by state law, without the appointment of a charter review committee.
If the existing term limits are not eliminated, Mayor John Chappie and Commissioner Jake Spooner will term limit out of office in November 2023.
Perry also recommended that the committee consider re-numbering two of the four existing commission wards so the wards are in proper sequential order. Due to the previous voter-approved elimination of the commission wards and the subsequent voter-approved reinstatement of the commission wards – further complicated by resulting re-election eligibility impacts for some commissioners – the wards are currently sequenced from north to south as Ward 4, Ward 3, Ward 1 and Ward 2. Perry recommends the ward numbers be sequenced 4, 3, 2 and 1 from north to south.
A copy of the city charter updated in November 2021 can be found online.
