Tallahassee commissioners appear poised to begin a review of the city charter for the first time in 14 years – a process that could usher in major political changes at City Hall.
Last week, commissioners voted 4-1 to ask staff to bring back an agenda item on a review of its charter, a sort of constitution for the city government that dictates how it functions.
Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox, who made the motion, said conversations about the need for a charter review have been happening in the community and that she’d “been approached” about it.
“What are the steps?” she asked. “I think it would be up to us and our constituents — let us know what kind of changes they’re interested in seeing. Because the folks who are talking to me, they have some ideas, but I don’t want to taint the process by saying here publicly what I’ve been told.”
In an interview with the Democrat, Williams-Cox again declined to say what possible charter changes have been discussed. She said she had “no thoughts” on whether the City Commission should increase its members or move to new districting schemes — topics that popped up during the 2022 election.
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City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, who cast the lone no vote, said he’d be interested in hearing specific ideas from the public but wasn’t sure the city needed to appoint a charter review commission. He later told the Democrat that he was apprehensive because some of his colleagues had “apparently been lobbied on specific changes” but wouldn’t disclose them.
“I wouldn’t support gerrymandered district proposals that dilute representation,” Matlow said, “but there are charter changes I think we should consider, starting with the powers of the mayor. It’s probably time to have a community conversation to see if we would be better served by a rotating mayor or a stronger mayor.”
While some local governments, including Leon County, go through a charter review every 10 years, the city hasn’t since 2009. The city’s charter doesn’t offer timetables for when reviews should occur or guidance beyond state statutes on how amendments are originated or the makeup of review committees.
One of the biggest changes to the charter came in 1996, when voters approved moving from a mayor who rotated among commissioners to a directly elected leadership mayor. Then-City Commissioner Scott Maddox went on to win election as the city’s first leadership mayor; more than two decades later, he was convicted on federal bribery charges.
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In 2014, voters overwhelmingly approved a citizen-initiated charter amendment that created the Independent Ethics Board.
Mayor John Dailey, who has long supported a new charter review, appeared pleasantly surprised after Williams-Cox moved to have an agenda item brought back. “Are you serious?” he asked. “I’ll second.”
Dailey called the charter review a “laid-out, detailed process” that would involve the appointment of a citizen commission and the hiring of outside consultants to facilitate discussion.
“That charter review commission will spend many months not only taking public input but rubbing down the city charter and looking at every aspect of the city charter,” he said. “And you know what, they might look at it and come back and say we recommend no changes. They might come back and make all kinds of changes.”
City commissioners would decide which proposals to place on ballots for voter consideration. It’s unclear whether that would happen in time for the 2024 election ― though that’s a distinct possibility.
In February 2020, when city commissioners last discussed a possible charter review, staff laid out a timeline that began in fall 2021 and wrapped up by a June 2022 deadline to get proposed amendments on ballots that year. Commissioners, however, opted not to proceed.
During last year’s election, Dailey expressed support for a charter review and expansion of the City Commission from five members to seven. He said he would leave it up to voters as to whether they wanted at-large or single-member districts.
“I do not think we should change the structure of government from council-management with a directly elected mayor,” he said during an Oct. 19 forum. “But I do think that we need more representation on the City Commission.”
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com and follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.