Commission notices vacancies for Charter Review Committee; members question background-check requirement

The Panama City Commission on June 24 published notice of five initial openings for a Charter Review Committee tasked with reviewing the city charter and recommending amendments to the city commission. Commissioners and members of the public debated the committee's proposed eligibility rules and length of term.

The clerk's draft called for five citizen members, each appointed by the mayor or a commissioner, each to reside within Panama City limits, be registered city voters, serve without compensation, and be subject to a background check. Several speakers, including Commissioner Hughes and public commenters, urged the commission to remove the background-check requirement from the posted notice, arguing it would deter volunteers. "I'm opposed to the background check," one commissioner said on the record.

Commissioners discussed committee size and process. Some members suggested starting with five appointed members and allowing the committee to request additional community participants or to elect additional members as it organizes. Commissioners also suggested the committee should hold public forums, town halls or charrettes as part of its review and should aim to bring recommendations back within about a year so the commission could consider changes ahead of future elections.

The commission agreed to publish the vacancies, remove the background-check requirement from the posted rules, and accept applications while staff returns with a refined proposal on membership numbers, timeline and staff support. Several commissioners said they intended to nominate specific individuals for appointment at an upcoming meeting; no final appointments were made at this session.