Palm Coast Charter Review Committee presses to meet Feb. 1 deadline; agrees consultant will present and sets 50-mile residency guideline for city manager

The Palm Coast Charter Review Committee convened Jan. 12 and set an accelerated schedule to get proposed charter changes to City Council in time for publication of the council packet. Chair O'Brien opened the meeting and the panel approved minutes from the Dec. 15, 2025 meeting by voice vote.

New City Manager Mike McLaughlin introduced himself to the committee and offered staff support. "My name is Mike McLaughlin. I'm the new City Manager, here in Palm Coast," he said, adding he has previously participated in charter review processes and will be available to the committee.

Deputy City Manager Lauren Johnston told the committee that the practical deadline for getting materials to City Council is Feb. 1 so the council agenda packet can be published two weeks before the Feb. 17 council meeting. "It's really we need it, you know, the February 1 because we need to publish the agenda 2 weeks in advance," she said.

Committee members and staff debated what deliverable to provide council: a consultant-authored narrative report or a concise redline/strike-through showing each proposed charter edit and the rationale. The committee coalesced around a concise working document with the consultant presenting to council and committee members available to answer follow-up questions. The hired consultant (referred to in the meeting transcript as Dr. Demont/Dumont) will prepare the final redline and summary for the packet.

On Article 5 (charter officers) the committee agreed on several edits: charter officers would be evaluated annually by council and evaluation specifics should be contained in contracts rather than the charter; the city attorney must be a member in good standing of the Florida Bar with municipal experience; and budget messaging should explicitly include budget assumptions.

The committee debated residency and qualification language for the city manager. Members discussed keeping the phrase "similar size and budget" as part of the qualifications and agreed on a flexible residency rule that encourages establishing residency in the city but allows the city manager to live within 50 miles of the Palm Coast city limits. Several members voiced that the 50-mile option would widen the candidate pool while still expecting the council to make a prudent hire.

A policy topic the committee postponed was the charter's limit on council authority to enter lease-purchase or other unfunded multiyear contracts. The existing language bars contracts whose repayment exceeds 36 months or $15,000,000 without voter approval; members debated replacing the fixed $15,000,000 threshold with a percentage tied to the general fund because the dollar figure is two decades old. The committee voted to table that section pending staff-provided historical materials and additional analysis.

City Attorney Marcus Duffy advised the group on statutory constraints that affect proposed charter language. He summarized relevant state law on candidate qualifying by petition (the statute language referenced requiring signatures equaling 1% of the geographic-area voters) and said the council may be limited in changing some election and petition rules that state law already controls. "Florida statute 99.0952 a requires a candidate who is seeking to qualify by petition to obtain 1% of the signatures of voters in the geographical area represented by the office," he said in response to committee questions.

The committee updated election-related language to replace archaic wording such as "elector" with "registered voters of the City of Palm Coast," clarified the process to fill vacancies (appointment within 90 days with exceptions if a vacancy occurs within six months of a scheduled election), and moved districting language to require a commission of registered city voters to prepare maps — with a requirement that council adopt redistricting ordinances a set number of days before the next regular city election.

Public commenters raised concerns about district maps and representation; staff and members said a street-level map and population counts exist and that planning staff or the clerk can provide copies.

Before adjourning, the committee set follow-up meetings (Jan. 26, a potential Jan. 28/Feb. 2 backstop and Feb. 9 for ranking priorities) so it can meet the Feb. 1 submittal deadline for the council packet. The committee also agreed the consultant will present the package to council at the Feb. 17 meeting and that the council must still hold the two public hearings the charter requires prior to placing any changes on a general-election ballot.

The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn.