Lake Wales commissioners approve draft 2025 ballot, add wording to charter amendment

City of Lake Wales commissioners approved a draft 2025 ballot and amended the wording of a proposed charter amendment to specify that a candidate "must receive a majority of votes to be elected," adopting the change by voice vote during the meeting.

The change was made after a commissioner raised a textual concern about the amendment's grammar and verb tense, and an amendment to the motion inserting the word "must" was proposed, seconded and approved. The roll call at the start of the meeting recorded Mayor Hillgoss, Deputy Mayor Gibson, Commissioner Thompson and Commissioner Gillespie present; Commissioner Williams was absent.

Discussion focused on the phrasing of the ballot language rather than the substance of the election rule. A speaker asked who drafted the charter amendment and criticized the sentence construction, saying the verb tense did not properly convey the requirement that a winning candidate must achieve a majority. The motion to approve the ballot was amended on the floor to insert "must" before "receive" in the proposed charter amendment phrasing. The amended motion was approved by voice vote; no opposing voices were recorded.

The commission took no additional public-comment items on this agenda item and moved directly to adjournment after the vote. The meeting record notes the amended ballot language will appear on the draft 2025 ballot as approved by the commission.

The meeting adjourned following the vote.