Lynn Tipton, a longtime municipal manager and presenter, told the Volusia County Charter Review Commission that most Florida counties operate under the council-manager form and urged commissioners to weigh trade-offs before changing Volusia’s governance structure. "It is the most prevalent," Tipton said of the council-manager model, situating the discussion in national and Florida history and model charters.

Tipton explained that the council-manager model separates representative policy-making from professional day-to-day administration and cited examples from Sarasota, Brevard and Lee counties as comparators. He cautioned against using Miami-Dade as a model, calling it "such a 1 off and an anomaly." The presentation also highlighted choices commissioners face about whether the council’s chair should be elected countywide or selected from within the body and how many seats a governing body should have.

Commissioners pressed Tipton for specifics. Commissioner Miss Northey asked, "What do you see when you have an elected chair like we do in Volusia County? What are the constitutional or charter benefits?" Tipton and other speakers described common chair authorities — adding items to the agenda and assigning committee membership at the organizational meeting — and contrasted ceremonial and intergovernmental roles with formal powers.

The conversation turned to practical constraints. Legal counsel and presenters reminded the commission that Florida constitutional and statutory limits — and recent bills in the Legislature — can narrow local authority. Tipton noted looming state action on preemption and commissioners referenced Senate Bill 180 as an example of legislation that could reduce local control over land-use decisions.

Chair Mark Watts said staff had distilled prior discussion into 16 draft amendment concepts and urged commissioners to avoid overwhelming voters with too many ballot questions. Commissioners agreed to form a government-structure subcommittee to examine chair-selection options, seat counts and related language; staff will schedule follow-up presentations and provide comparative materials.

Next steps: the commission will convene subcommittee meetings between now and the next full meeting, receive staff materials and return to page-by-page review of proposed charter language.