Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Potential conflict reveals flaws in Zephyrhills charter

At least Zephyrhills City Council member Gina King gets it.

King wondered why Zephyrhills Mayor Cliff McDuffie is serving on the city's charter review committee, considering one of the expected discussion topics is whether the city even needs to retain the mayoral position.

"To revise the charter, (the committee) might want to do away with the mayor's position, in which case he's probably not going to agree to that," King said Monday night.

She is right to point out the potential conflict. Unfortunately, her concern also highlights some of the archaic provisions in the charter.

It turns out, the mayor is required to sit on the charter review panel. At least that is one interpretation. The mayor, who has no vote on council matters but who can veto city ordinances, is required to sit on all city committees, according to the charter. McDuffie is a member of the Planning Commission, having been appointed by council member Cathi Compton, but his automatic seat on all city committees has not been enforced.

McDuffie, however, will sit on the charter committee, but agreed not to make his own appointment to the panel. That is smart. Allowing one individual to sit on a panel in which he also appoints a member amounts to disproportionate influence.

Since the mayor hasn't been sitting on all committees, that is a logical provision to eliminate from the charter. Doing away with the office of mayor shows even greater prudence, providing the city with a chance to streamline government operations, cut spending and increase accountability.

In Zephyrhills, the mayor, who is paid $4,800 annually, meets and greets. The council president, not the mayor, presides over council meetings and signs official city documents. The mayor does have veto authority over city ordinances, a provision McDuffie threatened to use once in December to pressure a developer to increase the lot sizes in a proposed housing development.

Designating the council president as mayor is an appropriate change. In all other Pasco cities, the mayor is the acknowledged leader of the elected officials. Port Richey and New Port Richey mayors are chosen by the public, while the elected governing bodies in Dade City, St. Leo and San Antonio simply elevate one of their own after the spring elections. Either system is preferable to Zephyrhills'.

Another likely discussion item is whether to adopt language similar to a provision in New Port Richey's charter. There, voter approval is needed of any ordinance to abolish or transfer either the Police Department or the Fire Department to another agency. New Port Richey voters approved the measure in the mid 1990s and rejected an attempt to delete the language last year.

We disagree. If future city councils believe it is the best public policy to contract public safety services, voter blessing shouldn't be automatic. The council could have the option of asking for a referendum, but it should not be a requirement.

A charter should guide how government operates, not hamstring elected officials from performing their duties.

[Last modified February 18, 2005, 00:14:17]