Palm Coast Opens Charter Review Council Applications

The Palm Coast city government will be taking on residents of the city to serve on the Charter Review Committee, the city announced on Tuesday. Five residents who apply will have the opportunity to advise the City Council on potential updates and revisions to the city’s primary governing document. Applications for the Charter Review Committee opened on Monday, and will remain open until Wednesday, June 18th at 5:00 pm. From there, the City Council will review applicants and appoint five residents at their business meeting on July 1st. Each City Council member will appoint one member, regardless of where they live within the city. Those who are chosen will serve for one year. Those who serve on the committee will be tasked with reading over and reviewing the City Charter in its present form. As they review it, they’ll be asked to identify ‘outdated language, inconsistencies, or areas that may benefit from clarification or modernization. Review of the city charter is required at an interval of every ten years at least. Click Here to Read the Palm Coast City Charter Just recently the language of the city charter was subject to scrutiny when Mayor Mike Norris was accused of violating it to enact the resignations of acting City Manager Lauren Johnston and Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo. Article IV of the city charter prohibits City Council members from ‘interfering with the performance of the duties of any City employee who is under the direct or indirect supervision of the City Manager or City Attorney’, with violations being considered malfeasance. Norris was said to have asked Johnston and DeLorenzo to resign; whether this meets the definition of ‘interference’ has been subject to considerable debate. When the Charter Review Committee identifies parts of the city charter which could be changed, they’ll present potential amendments to the City Council. These amendments would be first approved by the City Council, and then placed to a referendum so that voters can have the final decision on the new language. The language of the initiative that appears on the ballot will be under the purview of the committee, as will engagement with the public surrounding potential charter concerns. More information on the applications is available by contacting the Palm Coast City Clerk at (386) 986-3713, or by emailing CityClerk@palmcoastgov.com. Applications can be filled out and submitted online using the City of Palm Coast website.