BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
During recent meetings, the Starke City Commission took steps toward modernizing the city’s foundational governing document, launching a discussion about forming a Charter Review Commission to update the city charter, which dates to the 1920s.
Mayor Andy Redding raised the issue Sept. 23, emphasizing the need to bring the city’s charter in line with current practices and legal standards. “We have a lot of antiquated language in our charter,” Redding said. “We need to look at having a charter review committee to get our charter up to date.”
City Attorney Scott Walker outlined the process for forming the review commission, recommending a diverse group of five to seven members drawn from across the community. “My suggestion is that each of the commissioners maybe pick a person or two to see if they might be interested,” Walker said. The commission would include business owners, residents and staff, and would meet regularly — typically once a month — to study the current charter and review examples from other Florida cities.
Walker stressed the importance of community buy-in, noting that any proposed changes would ultimately go before voters. “The community has to have some buy-in. They have to say, look, this is what we want to do,” he said.
Commissioners discussed the makeup of the review body, agreeing that each would recommend members, with the goal of assembling a seven-member panel. Commissioner Danny Nugent suggested seeking outside expertise, such as from the League of Cities, to help guide the process.
The timeline for the review is ambitious, with the commission aiming to complete its work in time for next year’s election. “We’re looking at a six-to-eight-month process,” Redding said. “I feel like we should have it then, because we’re going to have a governor’s race, we’ll have a better turnout of our citizens.”
By the following meeting Oct. 7, commissioners began floating some names, including Scott Roberts, who recently served on the city commission, and Glenda Ruisse, who serves on the Planning and Zoning Board and works with Concerned Citizens of Bradford County.
Commissioners’ schedules are interfering with getting everyone present for a vote, however. Commissioner Bob Milner also said the search for committee members should be advertised to the public to allow for broader community participation. Citizens of Starke will have the opportunity to apply as advertised on social media and the city’s website (www.cityofstarke.org). The deadline to apply is Oct. 31.
In other business:
—the commission updated utility installation fees and monthly security light charges for residential and commercial customers.
