Broward County Charter Review Comm. meeting April 9 @ 1 p.m.

South Beach Hoosier/Hallandale Beach Blog will probably be attending the Broward County Charter Review Commission (CRC) meeting on Wednesday afternoon unless something unexpected comes up.

You also might want to consider bringing a shoe box along, so you can show all the attendees that you are one of those rare folks who can, in fact, "think outside of the box," and are not at all interested in maintaining the status quo that's clearly not working very well for anyone, most of the county's residents.

If you're thinking of attending, or, submitting questions via email, you might want to consider reading the Minutes of some recent meetings beforehand, so that you are up to speed and don't ask something that's already been "asked and answered."

Minutes of Broward County Charter Review Commission,
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
http://www.broward.org/charter/pdf/121207_crc_final.pdf

CRC homepage is at: http://www.broward.org/charter/

By the way, in case you were wondering what the hell "The Broward Workshop" was -unskilled actors pretending to be leaders?- join the club.

Unflattering Sun-Sentinel editorial on them is at the bottom of page.

http://www.browardworkshop.com/
105 E. Davie Blvd. Suite 200,
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
Phone: (954) 462-9112
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbmayor0228sbfeb28,0,2209022.story?track=rss

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Charter board delays decision on Broward mayor proposal
By Scott Wyman
February 28, 2008

Business executives have begun exploring a petition drive to force a vote this fall on whether to elect a mayor countywide, frustrated by waffling and inaction from a board assigned to update the Broward County charter.

The Charter Review Commission on Wednesday delayed any decision on a proposal to change the mayor's job until early April, following a pair of public hearings. The charter board has vacillated over the past two months on a countywide mayor and Wednesday's nondecision went against its own rules to craft all proposed charter changes before the hearings on March 12 and April 9.

The leaders of the business round table called the Broward Workshop expect to decide within the next week whether to begin collecting more than 65,000 signatures needed for a referendum. They worry the charter board decision will come too late for them to have time to meet the extremely difficult election rules to add the countywide mayor to the November ballot.

"I'm having a hard time understanding what is wrong with letting the electorate decide," said George Mason, chairman of the Broward Workshop.

The proposal under debate would replace the largely ceremonial post of mayor that now rotates annually among county commissioners. The commission would be enlarged from nine to 11 members with the mayor and one other person being elected countywide.

The mayor question was the last remaining item for the charter board, which is assigned to propose changes to voters in how the county is governed.

The board has been heavily lobbied by both business leaders and county commissioners over what to do, and Wednesday's meeting was chaotic as a result.

One charter board member called in from work in a hospital emergency room. Another tried and failed to call in from a sailboat in the Caribbean. The board voted to ask the public to comment about the mayor question during the hearings, but agreed to distribute preprinted pamphlets that don't mention it.

The proposal charts a middle course between the current system and a strong mayor who would control day-to-day operations of the county. The post would have no more authority than it does today, and a professional administrator would remain in charge of county agencies. Advocates say the mayor could use the post as a bully pulpit to bring a countywide perspective to issues.

County Mayor Lois Wexler and Commissioner Ilene Lieberman accused elected mayor supporters of ignoring the county's economic realities. The county must cut spending in light of the January constitutional amendment requiring tax relief while adding two more commissioners will mean more bureaucracy.

"I'm looking for what's best for the governance of Broward County, and that's not choosing two more elected officials and all their support staff over the adequate funding of human services,"

Reader comments are at:
http://www.topix.com/forum/county/broward-fl/T5B9R7EMN32OJUQ3R

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From http://www.broward.org/charter/pdf/publichearings03and0408.pdf

Your Opportunity to Express Your Views on Potential Changes to the Broward County Charter

Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 1 p.m.
115 S. Andrews Avenue, Room 422
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

• Creation of a Metropolitan Transit Authority


• Non-Interference in County Administration

• County Commission Meeting Rules & Voting


• Broward County Housing Council

• Broward County Regionalism Policy Statement


• Broward County Park Preservation

• Broward County Environmental Policy Statement


• Broward County Ethics Commission

• Redistricting Process


• Children’s Services Recommendation

• County Commission to provide Responsive Report to Management and Efficiency Study Committee

• One year hiatus between end of Management and Efficiency Study Committee and beginning
of Charter Review Commission


• Still under consideration: Composition of Broward County Commission

Please visit www.broward.org/charter to review the proposed Charter Amendments or call 954-357-8890 to request copies of proposed amendments.

Both public hearings will be televised on participating cable stations and webcast on www.broward.org.

The Commission will accept questions via email at charterreview@broward.org.

Public input on additional topics is welcome.

The Broward County Charter provides a blueprint for the operation of a countywide government that serves all residents in Broward County.

The Charter Review Commission is created for the purpose of conducting a comprehensive study of any or all phases of County government in conformance with Article VI of the Charter of Broward County, Florida.

Broward County Charter Review Commission
115 S. Andrews Avenue-Annex B
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Phone: 954-357-8890 • FAX: 954-357-8889
charterreview@broward.org
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http://www.theledger.com/article/20080324/NEWS/803240330/1023

The Lakeland Ledger
March 24, 2008
Hiding Homeless Won't Work

An editorial from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale:

Downtown Fort Lauderdale would be more pristine without homeless people sleeping on benches, picking through garbage and urinating on sidewalks. No doubt about it.

But sweeping disheveled people out of the vicinity just so restaurant customers, condo dwellers and business owners won't have to tolerate seeing them is dehumanizing. And it would only transfer destitute people from one location to another.

Don't think so? Count the number of Broward cities that have passed ordinances banning people from sleeping in cars, largely in hope of pointing homeless people somewhere else.

The issue is nothing new in Broward County, where last year there were 3,154 homeless people, 701 living on the streets, according to a survey.

While the county is far removed from its Tent City days, when the homeless lived in a makeshift shelter in front of the Broward Boulevard bus terminal, it obviously still has a long way to go.

But the solution does not lie in sweeping the homeless under the rug or locking them up for sleeping on the streets. It requires public policy to effectively deal with issues that lead to homelessness - poverty and mental illness for example - and adding more beds to shelters.

Unfortunately, business power brokers who met recently to brainstorm about how to get rid of the nomads missed an opportunity to show real leadership. Sponsored by the Urban Core Committee of the Broward Workshop, the event focused on "safety, security and quality of life," not for the homeless, but for the downtown crowd who don't want them nearby when "spending $100 for lunch," as one developer so bluntly put it.

Instead of fretting about homelessness, Broward's business leaders should use their resources and influence to help address the socioeconomic issues that lead to the problem. Homelessness is best addressed as a condition, not a crime.