After a suggestion to eliminate the county board, many municipalities are gearing up to fight to keep the organization they say is needed.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published February 19, 2004
Pinellas County Commission Chairwoman Susan Latvala's idea to eliminate the Pinellas Planning Council is drawing the ire of elected officials, who say the advisory board is the people's voice in county government.
At least three city governments have passed resolutions opposing any plan to weaken the Planning Council since Latvala suggested it last week. Several others are preparing to follow suit.
And before long, the chairman of the Planning Council, Largo Mayor Bob Jackson, said he hopes all 24 cities send a clear message that the 13-member group is a vital check on county rule.
"In our democracy, we promote the system of checks and balances," Jackson said. "They (County Commission) would like more autonomy. The Planning Council is something they wish they didn't have to pay attention to."
The response from cities comes a little more than a week after Latvala suggested at a charter review committee meeting Feb. 9 that the Planning Council be eliminated because it is a redundant body with a $1.3-million annual budget that wields little power.
The proposal could be one of several potential changes to the county's charter, which must be approved by voters.
"It's always fair for government to look at what it does periodically and make sure it's in the best interest of the citizens," Latvala said. ". . . We're the only county in the state that has this. Everyone else gets along quite nicely, why do taxpayers here have to pay over $1-million?"
The Planning Council's board is composed of 11 elected city officials, a county commissioner and a member of the Pinellas County School Board. They meet monthly and address countywide land use issues.
The council makes recommendations to county commissioners, who have final say.
"Why do we need a second countywide planning office?" Latvala asked. "It's just good government to ask if we need to be spending $1-million a year for another office."
But city officials say the council is necessary and are ready to fight to keep it. Members voted Wednesday to hire an outside attorney for legal advice.
"The PPC has a definite function, and it's to protect the citizens, and it's also to help the county," said Oldsmar Mayor Jerry Beverland, his city's representative. "Doesn't the county consider advisory boards important?
"Do they not need advice?"
The Planning Council staff also assists smaller municipalities, which, in many cases, have limited in-house resources.
In her recommendation, Latvala said residents in bigger cities, such as Clearwater and St. Petersburg, pay taxes that support planning work in smaller cities, such as Madeira Beach and Oldsmar.
And although the Planning Council does offer some assistance for free, Jackson said small municipalities pay for much of the council's help.
In Oldsmar, for example, the Planning Council is preparing an annexation study on a piece of county land, Beverland said. For that analysis, the city is paying $7,000. The county isn't chipping in a nickel, he said.
"She (Latvala) said she's tired of spending money on these small communities," Beverland said. "We pay for it. It's the small cities paying for it."
In support, the St. Petersburg City Council passed a resolution last week opposing any plan to abolish or weaken the Planning Council. Largo city commissioners and Oldsmar council members took a similar stance at their meetings Tuesday.
And Seminole council members take up the issue Tuesday. There, Mayor Dottie Reeder has already sent a letter to Latvala and others saying the council plays a vital role in decision-making and should not be abolished.
