Volusia County Home Rule Charter Government

1. Volusia County Home Rule Charter Government Since 1971

2. Purpose of the Presentation Define different forms of local government. Provide background on home rule charter government in Florida. Overview Volusia�s Home Rule Charter Talk about how Volusia County government is organized. Answer questions.

3. Forms of Local Government Council-Manager Elected Executive Commission Town meeting Representative Town Meeting

4. Forms of Local Government- 5 variations 1. Council-Manager Form

5. Council-Manager Form Council is focused on legislative or policy decision making Manager responsible for day-to-day administration Typically, the Mayor is political head of the jurisdiction and presides over meetings, but does not have administrative or veto powers.

6. History of Council-Manager Form First Council-Manager gov�t was established in 1908 in Staunton, VA. First large city to adopt the plan was Dayton, OH in 1914 First counties were Arlington County, VA and Durham and Robeson counties in North Carolina in the 1930s

7. Council-Manager Form, cont. Council-Manager form is rooted in a concept called the �politics - administration� dichotomy (Wilson). Emerged from the Progressive Era in the late 1800s with the notion that administration is a profession (science?), that gov�t should be populated with trained administrators, and that politics should not drive administrative decision making. Same time --Pendleton Act and Merit Systems

8. Council-Manager Form, cont. Council hires and fires the manager Manager makes policy recommendations to the Council and is bound by their decision Mayor/Chair presides over meetings, but does not have veto or administrative powers City/County Managers often subscribe to Code of Ethics

9. Form of Government, cont. Elected Executive

10. Elected Executive Also called: Strong Mayor or Strong Chairman Ex. City of Orlando, Orange County, Duval County/City of Jacksonville Mayor-Council form Council-Elected Executive Elected Executive (Chairman or Mayor) has administrative authority. Elected Executive often has both administrative and political authority. Sometimes has veto power.

11. Forms of Government, cont. Commission

12. Commission Form Commissioners have both legislative and executive powers. Collectively, the Commissioners serve as the head of government. Often, also have elected constitutional officers. Commissioners sometimes head up departments or services within their district

13. Commission Form Found in many rural and non-charter Florida Counties. Rooted in Florida�s 1868/1885 constitutions, �Jacksonian� Democracy and the distribution of power. Some counties have hired administrators to manage day-to-day, but authority still lies with Commission. Fragmentation

14. Forms of Government, cont. Town Meeting All qualified voters elect Boards of Selectman and vote on policies. Boards of Selectman implement policies. Not typical in southern states, including Florida. Representative Town Meeting General electorate selects group of citizens to represent them.

15. Home Rule Charters in Florida Authority to create a home rule charter provided in the 1968 Constitution. Why? Tool for modernization of government and reform. Provides the ability to adopt the form of government an area chooses. Charter allows counties to enact local laws, not specifically prohibited by State general law.

16. Home Rule Charter in FL, cont. Principal tools a charter provides: Potential for superiority of charter county ordinances over municipal ordinances; A broad grant of both constitutional and legislative power to charter counties allowing them to determine locally that certain regulations are more conducive to uniform countywide enforcement; And specific statutory preference for counties over municipalities in specified functional areas.

17. Volusia County�s Home Rule Charter Charter Study Commission - 1969-70 Special Act and Vote by Volusia - 1970 Transition provisions Carry over Commissioners until 1972 Requirement to be reviewed a minimum of once every 10 years. What else did it do?

18. Volusia County�s Home Rule Charter, continued Created the County �Council.� Adopted the Council-Manager plan. Abolished the Tax Collector and made those functions part of the Charter government. Made former constitutional officers into elected department heads -- ie. Sheriff, Property Appraiser, and Supervisor of Elections. Manager as Clerk to Council

19. Volusia County�s Home Rule Charter, continued Highlights: Council hires County Manager by 2/3 vote, fires by majority vote. Manager oversees all personnel with exception of County Attorney. Non-interference clause. Ballot amendment provisions By Council, By electorate, By CRC, By special act

20. Volusia County�s Home Rule Charter, continued Reviewed in: 1976 1985-86 Growth Management Commission Minimum Environmental Standards Unified Beach Code 1995-1996 County Attorney appointed by Council Abolished Beach Trust Commission Water Policy Review Commission

21. Volusia County�s Home Rule Charter, continued Charter Issues Advisory Committee, 2002: Major Issues: 4 year terms At-large elected Chair Salary Maintain 5-2 structure, except 1 at-large to be the Chair Transition provisions

23. Volusia County government Factoids Approximate budget: $634 million (recommended FY 2008-09) Number of employees: More than 3,000 (full and part-time) Services range from: Regional Services Municipal Type Services to Unincorporated Areas Contracted Services

24. Thank You for the Opportunity to talk about Volusia County Government