Charter questions to be on March 2016 ballot
There may be potential changes to the island’s “mini constitution” now that Town policy makers have approved to present amendments to the voters.
At a final public hearing, the Fort Myers Beach Town Council granted the submission of certain Town Charter amendment questions to referendum during the Presidential Primary on March 15, 2016.
“The single most important thing that you will do next year is to vote on charter amendments,” said Mayor Anita Cereceda. “Tell your friends and neighbors. Ask questions. It is super, super important.”
While some questions are deemed necessary to clean up redundancies and discrepancies as well as delete obsolete language dating back to the town’s incorporation, others probably have little chance of passing (at least two Council members stated they would vote ‘no’ to Council compensation increase in pay). There are also pertinent ones to allow the Town to be more flexible, like long-term financing.
“‘If you want to take less of a hit on your water bill, you want to consider these charter amendments vert closely,” said Councilwoman Rexann Hosafros. “We are not voting to pass these personally, we are just voting to pass them to the voters.”
At a recent workshop, Council discussed and consensually agreed to address each proposed amendment to the Town Charter. Such revisions would allow changes to major municipal functionality and to lighter maintenance language edits. Beach voters will now have the ability to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to 22 electoral referendum questions come March.
The much-acclaimed five-member Charter Review Commission began work in October 2014. Amendments deemed as extremely important for future Town operations include eliminating long-term debt limitations, Council compensation, forfeiture of office, emergency meeting notification, Council length of terms, elimination of term limits and adoption requirements to fall on three members not just a simple majority and emergency ordinance requirements.
Councilman Alan Mandel believed the long-term financing question is so important, he would not lie to any other question posed on the ballot.
“The most important thing in here is the financing for the future to the extent that that would be the only question I would put on the referendum,” he said. “Don’t risk that most important thing.”
Cereceda shared Mandel’s comment, but believes Beach voters will educate themselves before they reach the polls.
Ballot language is limited due to state law. Questions, which can be viewed below, are concise. By resolution, Council does have the right to change referendum questions before submitting them to Lee County Supervisor of Elections on Nov. 17, 2015.