New Smyrna Beach Approves 2 of 7 Proposed City Charter Amendments

The voters of New Smyrna Beach had seven proposed amendments to the city charter on the ballot Tuesday. When the results came in, two of the seven passed and the other five were rejected. Amendments 6 and 7 passed, while 1-5 all failed. Passed Amendments The first of the two measures to pass, Amendment 6, prioritizes arts and culture within the city charter.  A new section will be added to the charter declaring the city’s commitment to the cultural arts, according to the wording of the initiative. This passed with 51.07% of the vote, with 48.93% voting against it. The second measure was Amendment 7, which requires a formal review of the city charter at least once every ten years. This review may happen more frequently if called upon by the New Smyrna Beach City Commission, but must not happen more scarcely than once a decade. Amendment 7 passed with 61.35% of the vote, compared to 38.65% against it. Failed Amendments Of the five amendments which failed, a common theme was the compensation and powers associated with public and administrative office. The first amendment would’ve given the mayor a four-year term instead of the current two years. This would’ve brought the mayor in line with the other City Commission members, who already have four-year terms in office. Less than four in ten voters supported this. Next up was Amendment 2, which allowed a candidate to win their election outright in the event they received over 50.0% of the vote in their primary election. They would’ve then had the ability to bypass the general election and take office. Amendment 3 would’ve reclassified the New Smyrna Beach City Clerk as a department head instead of a charter officer as they’re currently considered. The main effect would’ve been that the City Commission would’ve overseen the clerk’s job, as opposed to the city manager. The least popular of the seven amendments was the fourth, which would’ve enacted a pay raise for the mayor and City Commission. The mayor’s salary would’ve been set at 75% of what’s paid to the Volusia County Council Chair, raising it from $28,081 to $50,545. The City Commission would’ve then made 75% of the mayor’s respective salary. This would’ve brought them from $21,060.75 to $37,909.35. Just over a quarter of voters supported this initiative. The final of the failing measures was Amendment 6, which would’ve affected how New Smyrna Beach handled historical preservation. If passed, Amendment 6 was going to replace regulatory policies and ordinances with incentives and volunteer programs. New Smyrna Beach Election Results Amendment 1 (Mayor Term) FAILED Yes: 2,423 – 38.1% No: 3,943 – 61.9% Amendment 2 (Primary Majority) FAILED Yes: 2,233 – 35.1% No: 4,125 – 64.9% Amendment 3 (City Clerk) FAILED Yes: 2,552 – 40.5% No: 3,757 – 59.5% Amendment 4 (City Commission Salary) FAILED Yes: 1,587 – 25.2% No: 4,701 – 74.8% Amendment 5 (Historic Preservation) FAILED Yes: 2,612 – 42.0% No: 3,610 – 58.0% Amendment 6 (Cultural Arts) PASSED Yes: 3,117 – 51.1% No: 2,986 – 48.9% Amendment 7 (Charter Review) PASSED Yes: 3,864 – 61.4% No: 2,434 – 38.6%