CHARTER REVIEW HAS A COUPLE OF PROPOSALS SO FAR

After months of meetings, the Charter Review Commission has so far come up with two proposed amendments to the Wakulla County Charter: one deals with panhandling and the other with how often the charter should be reviewed.
The Charter Review Committee passed the two recommendations at their meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 3. The committee’s recommendations will be formally presented at public hearings in November – the dates have yet to be set – and reviewed by the county commission. Citizens will vote on the proposed changes next year.
The first proposed amendment: Shall the Charter of Wakulla County be amended to require the County Commission to adopt a public safety ordinance, with with approve exemption and designated penalties for violating such ordinance which specifically addresses interactions between citizens and motorists at medians, public right of ways, crosswalks, sidewalks, arterial roads, and applicable public spaces?
The second proposed amendment: Shall the Charter of Wakulla County be amended to require a Charter Review Commission to be appointed at a minimum of every six years instead of the current requirement of every eight years?
The Charter Review Committee has grappled with some big issues – impact fees, the percentage of signatures required for citizens iniatives, and expansion of the Wakulla Springs Protection Zone in county ordinances.
Some members of the committee, notably vice-chair David Damon and member Lynn Artz, have complained that the committee hasn’t accomplished anything because, after months of meetings, it hadn’t passed any proposals until last week.
Other members, including committee members Andrew Riddle, Walt Dickson and John Shuff have answered that weighing changes and voting them down is hardly doing nothing.
Chris Russell is chair of the committee.
At a planned meeting on Monday, Oct. 23 at the community center’s St. Marks Room at 6 p.m., the committee will take up issues including a “heritage tree” preservation recommendation.