Leon County charter review committee orients members on process, open-government rules; elects chair and vice chair

At an orientation meeting of the Leon County Charter Review Committee, county staff briefed the 21-member panel on the scope and schedule of the eight‑year charter review and on the legal limits for committee deliberations, and the members elected former Commissioner Mary Anne Lindley as chair and Chauncey Haynes as vice chair.

County Administrator Vince Long opened the session by explaining the committee’s role and timeline. “You’ll hear us say throughout this process that the county charter is our whole rule constitution,” Long said, describing the charter as the county’s “home rule constitution” and reminding members they have about 120 days to complete their work and may recommend amendments to the Board of County Commissioners.

The briefing outlined how charter amendments may reach voters and what this committee can and cannot change. Long said the board gave the committee broad latitude but identified a single issue it wanted the committee to examine: whether county ordinances should prevail over conflicting city ordinances except…