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Palmetto Bay council votes 3-2 to rescind ordinance letting charter panel send items straight to ballot
Summary
After hours of debate and public comment, Palmetto Bay council voted 3-2 on June 15 to rescind an ordinance and a related resolution that had allowed the Charter Revision Commission to place proposed charter amendments directly on the ballot; the measures move to a required second reading.
Palmetto Bay — The Palmetto Bay village council voted 3-2 on June 15 to rescind an ordinance and a linked resolution that had allowed the Charter Revision Commission to forward proposed charter amendments directly to the ballot, returning the final approval authority to the council.
The council took up the first-reading ordinance, which rescinds Ordinance 2026-01, after an evening of legal questions and lengthy debate. Acting Village Attorney Lilian Orango told the council the action "is not a settlement" of pending litigation involving Councilmember Steve Cody and that the village has not taken a position on that lawsuit. "This is not a settlement," Orango said.
Why it matters: The measure affects how nine proposed charter amendments compiled by the Charter Revision Commission will reach voters. Supporters of rescission said the elected council must retain its legislative review role; opponents said volunteers’ work should be respected and that forwarding the CRC’s recommendations directly promotes voter access.
Members split along those lines in public remarks and on the dais. Vice Mayor Mark Meritzer, opposing rescission, said the issue had been debated "ad nauseam" and warned rescission would place the commission volunteers’ work "into limbo." He urged awaiting clearer guidance from the Ethics Commission before acting.
Councilmember Steve Cody and Councilmember Patrick Fiori both supported rescission. Cody argued the council has a duty under the charter to exercise "the exclusive legislative authority here in the village," and said forwarding items to the ballot without council review would remove deliberative oversight. Mayor Karen Cunningham also voted to rescind and said she did not support the original ordinance that allowed direct submission by the CRC.
Public commenters weighed in during an open hearing. Resident Henry Clifford urged the council to leave charter change authority as close to voters as possible, saying the charter envisioned a strong role for electors and that the CRC’s proposals should go straight to the ballot.
Roll-call votes were recorded on the ordinance and a related resolution. On the ordinance rescission (first reading), Vice Mayor Mark Meritzer voted No; Councilmember Steve Cody Yes; Councilmember Patrick Fiori Yes; Mayor Karen Cunningham Yes; Councilmember Marshia Matson No — the motion passed 3-2 and will return for a second reading. A separate but parallel vote rescinding Resolution 2025-80 passed by the same 3-2 margin.
Next steps: Both the ordinance and the resolution advance to required second readings, where councilmembers may vote again. Council members discussed bringing the CRC’s nine recommendations back as council-sponsored items at the July 6 meeting for public discussion and possible amendment before final submission to the elections department (village deadline: July 29).
