Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Charter Referendum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Panama City commission adopts three-question charter referendum for November ballot
Summary
After debate over bundling changes, commissioners voted to place a three-question charter amendment option on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot (Ordinance 33-08). Supporters said the split reduces risk that one contested item will defeat otherwise routine updates.
The Panama City Commission on July 28 approved Ordinance 33-08 to place proposed charter amendments on the Nov. 3, 2026 general-election ballot using the three-question option. The vote to adopt option 2 (three separate questions) was 5 to 0.
Commissioners wrestled with the tradeoff between simplicity and voter clarity. Mayor Branch said he was not entirely comfortable with either approach but favored a single question for ease; he told colleagues, “I'm ... leaning towards 1 question because the changes in the charter are pretty conventional and normal.” Several commissioners worried a single bundled question could sweep unrelated or controversial items into a single yes-or-no decision that might doom uncontested changes. Commissioner (speaker 11) moved to approve the commission's proposed language with the three-question option, saying, "I'll move that we, take option 3, approve what's come to us, with option 2 for 3 questions." The motion carried unanimously.
Staff told the commission the ordinance and the ballot-language exhibits reflect edits requested at the July 14 meeting and that the charter amendments would not take effect unless approved by voters. The ordinance includes a renumbered clean copy of the charter showing proposed edits, changes to mayoral terms and election timing, clarifications on commissioners' qualifications, reorganized city-manager duties, and rules governing competitive elections. The commission read the ordinance title into the record and adopted it for placement on the ballot.
