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Charter idea needs an objective debate
© St. Petersburg Times, The Good Government League, a small but vocal group of nay-saying government gadflies, announced last week that it will attempt to gather more than 15,000 signatures on a petition to force the Hernando County Commission to appoint a commission to study the advantages and disadvantages of charter government. County commissioners should save them the trouble, by assuming control of the debate and simultaneously defusing a contentious anti-government campaign. The county paid a consultant almost $10,000 in 1998 to produce a study on charter government. The result was inconclusive, but the consultants did recommend the commission appoint a panel to examine the issue more closely. The commissioners never took that next step, partly because they did not want to be bound by the group's recommendation. Charter government is an arcane concept for many residents, especially those who have chosen to remain uninformed about how government operates. Hernando, along with 50 of the state's 67 counties, operates under statutory government, wherein state law determines the salaries of commissioners and constitutional officers based on population. It also gives the commission the authority to raise property taxes and make other far-reaching policy decisions without voters' approval. In addition, it makes it impossible for residents to remove a commissioner from office. Under charter government, which is much more common in incorporated municipalities, residents essentially can govern themselves by customizing their charter. In most places where it is used, residents give themselves the authority to initiate recall movements against elected officials in whom they've lost confidence, set their salaries, and to decide certain budgetary matters by popular vote. State law stipulates that after the residents' petition is validated, the County Commission must appoint a charter study commission of 11 to 15 people with 30 days. Within the next 18 months, the charter commission would make a recommendation and then a referendum would be placed on the ballot. If it is approved, the charter could never be amended without voters' approval. But before Hernando County reaches that point, residents first must decide if they are prepared to assume the responsibility that is inherent in charter government. If voters are going to have the final say on the county's operating budget, for example, will they take the time to educate themselves about the money is spent and then render an objective evaluation? Or, in the case of recalling elected officials, will the majority of residents become pawns in schemes that are overblown and politically motivated? Presumably, those are questions the charter study group would attempt to answer. But there are intermediate steps the commission could take now before actually appointing such a panel. First, the commission should schedule a workshop meeting simply to find out its members' opinions about charter government, and possibly invite an acknowledged expert on the subject to make a presentation and be available to answer questions. At the same time, the commissioners could discuss the possibility of scheduling a public hearing to gauge community support for idea. Only after those fundamental steps are taken should the commission contemplate appointing a charter study commission. It is premature, to the point of being irresponsible, for the Good Government League to bypass that logical sequence of events, and it should be an indication to residents that the people spearheading this campaign are predisposed toward making the switch. There are plenty of more pressing issues for voters and the commissioners to worry about now, including properly managing the county's residential and commercial growth, meeting the increased demand for social services, protecting our air and water, and holding down taxes and the rising costs of government. But if the Good Government League is going to force the debate, it would be better for the commission to steer the discussion, ensuring it takes place with structure and objectivity.
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From today's Hernando Times Jan Glidewell |
