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Committee backs changing charter removal threshold for charter officers to a majority vote
Summary
The committee voted to recommend removing the requirement for a supermajority to remove charter officers, proposing instead a simple majority vote with a required public hearing; the committee left the removal clause in the charter rather than deleting it entirely.
The Charter Review Committee recommended editing the town charter to replace the current supermajority removal requirement for charter officers with a simple majority vote of the full council, while retaining a requirement for a public hearing before removal.
Committee members discussed two approaches: keep removal language in the charter but change the threshold from a supermajority to a majority, or remove the provision from the charter entirely and leave removal procedures to employment contracts or council rule. Committee members who favored keeping the provision in the charter argued that an explicit charter rule protects negotiated employment terms and provides clarity to applicants and incumbent officers; others raised concerns that leaving the provision in the charter could constrain future contract negotiations.
Legal and process considerations: staff and counsel explained that removing the charter language entirely would leave removal procedures to contract terms and to council action under general quorum rules — meaning, in practice, fewer members could effect a removal if the charter provided no specific threshold. The committee therefore recommended retaining the charter provision but striking the term "super" (and removing the word "only" from the draft clause) so removals would proceed on a majority of the full council and continue to require a public hearing.
Vote and next steps: committee members approved the recommendation and will forward the proposed charter language to the town council for review and possible inclusion on a future ballot or ordinance process. The committee asked staff to prepare clarified draft language and to return any statutory research (including any relevant Florida statutory guidance) to the council as part of the packet.
