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Port Richey council approves slate of charter amendments for April 8 ballot; council adopts ballot language
Summary
City Council adopted ordinances and companion resolutions to place multiple charter amendments on the April 8, 2025 ballot, including changes affecting council vacancies, quorum rules, committee appointments, department head selection language and monthly salaries for the mayor and council. Most measures passed unanimously at the Jan. 28 meeting.
Port Richey — At its Jan. 28 meeting the City Council adopted a package of charter amendments and approved ballot titles and text to place the measures before voters on April 8, 2025.
What the council approved: Council acted on a sequence of ordinances that will submit proposed charter changes to the electorate, and on resolutions that set the short ballot titles and explanatory text required by Florida law. Items addressed in the adopted package include (representative list): eligibility and composition language for council seats; vacancy, forfeiture and filling-vacancy procedures; procedures for counting votes and quorum definitions; clarifications to city department language; board/committee appointment rules; and modifications to the monthly salary for mayor and council members. Staff read each ordinance by title and council moved and passed each measure; companion resolutions specified ballot language and limited explanatory text (Per Florida law ballot titles are capped at 15 words and explanatory text at 75 words).
Votes: Council voted on each ordinance and the supporting resolutions. The votes recorded in the meeting transcript show the motions carried (several items recorded as unanimous approvals). For transparency, the package includes ordinance numbers 25-713, 25-714, 25-715, 25-717, 25-718, 25-719, 25-720, 25-721, 25-722, 25-723, 25-724, 25-725, 25-726 and 25-727 and a set of resolutions numbered 25-04 through 25-17 approving ballot language and coordination with the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections.
Why it matters: The amendments will not take effect unless voters approve them on April 8. Several changes clarify internal procedures (for example, quorum rules for committees and how council handles vacancies), and one notable change would adjust the monthly salary amounts paid to elected officials (the ordinances include an amendment to section 11.07 changing mayor and council monthly salary figures). The council discussed the salary item at length; supporters said the adjustment better reflects the duties of the office, and opponents said voters may balk at increasing pay for elected officials.
Process details: For each charter amendment the council approved an ordinance to place the amendment on the ballot and separately approved a resolution adopting the ballot title and explanatory language. Staff noted minor drafting adjustments to ensure consistent department naming and to meet statutory word limits. The city attorney advised that adopting a resolution standardizing the disclosure of ex parte communications (Resolution 25-18) would shift the evidentiary burden in a legal challenge.
Provenance: The ordinances were read and voted on during the meeting’s second-reading and ordinance-adoption portion of the agenda (transcript segments ~01:19:20–02:37:00).
