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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996 04 22 Regular Item B 'I COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM B REGULAR X CONSENT INFORMATIONAL April 22. 1996 Meeting MGR !lWI'1IDEPT Authorization REQUEST: The General Services Department requests the City Commission to give policy direction on how to address requests by the Florida League of Cities to lobby local legislators. PURPOSE: The purpose of this Commission Item is to give guidance to the City Manager on how to address requests by the Florida League of Cities to lobby local area legislators during the legislative session on local bills and state bills of local application. CONSIDERATIONS: The Florida League of Cities makes numerous requests of the City to lobby local legislators on positions developed by The Florida League of Cities during the session. Often there is insufficient time to introduce and gain approval by the City Commission concerning these requests. The City Commission is the legislative branch of the City, and is the only body that can officially formulate policies that the City wants to take on supporting or opposing legislation affecting the City. ..' 7; '1 April 22, 1996 AGENDA ITEM Page 2 The Florida League of Cities is officially the City's lobbyist with the legislature, The League develops position statements that they want cities to take during the session. They call on cities to augment their efforts by contacting local delegation members to express their support or opposition. Individual City Commissioners may have differing views on legislation than the position developed by the League. If Commissioners contact local delegations independently with diverging positions, it may tend to confuse the issue as to the official position of the City of Winter Springs. Any Communication should be according to the Florida Government in the Sunshine Law and Florida Public Records Law. AL TERNA TIVES: 1) Because of the timeliness issue, any position of the City of Winter Springs could be developed before the legislative session begins, and expressed to the local delegation. However, since many bills are drafted or amended extensively during the session, this may not prove practical for all pieces of legislation. 2) The City Commission could choose to not formally communicate to the legislature during the session, and let the Florida League of Cities be the official lobbyist for the City. The risk is that the position of the League may not meet with the consensus of the Commission. 3) The City Commission could delegate this responsibility to the City Manger. However, the City Manager may not express the will of the Commission either, and may not agree with the League on all issues. ISSUES: A decision to not officially contact the local delegation during the session places all of the burden for public policy affecting the City on the Florida League of Cities. While they are the City's official lobbyists, City officials would often be in a better position to express the City's position on local legislation since they work with local legislators on an annual basis, and many Commissioners know local legislators personally. , " , I April 22, 1996 AGENDA ITEM Page 3 RECOMMENDATION: That the City Commission give policy direction to the City Manager on how to handle requests by the Florida League of Cities, to lobby local area legislators, during th legislative sessions. COMMISSION ACTION: ." APR 16 )96 09:07 FLA LEAGUE OF CITIES 904 2223806 P.1/1 ". SAMPLE ATTACHMENT ~. TI"31/.i"'..;li'p";ilIr0"" r)Krf S ]IT]' J j<:'f , :.,~ t . . l,~r \ it :. LJ( ~ r ~/"'''\i~\l,.t~iLr...... ~ \~~ '\l l\ '..; .' '''' . ". " /I ll'-""'~' f~ , . APR 1 6 1996 CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS City Man&1ger" 201 West Park Avenue. P.O. Box 1757. Tallahassee, FL 32302..1757 . (904) 222-9684. Suncom 278-5331 To: Key Officials From: Diane Salz, Director ofEnwonmental Services/Growth Management Subject: Water Priority Apri116, 1996 ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT, . Date: Contact your Legislators on the Senate NatUral Resources Conunitte~ to urge their support for an amendment to SB 2552 (Latvala)- which would require that of all water management district governing boards, "one of the at-large appointments must be a representative of a municipal or county utility." The amendment will be offered on Wednesday April 17th. Senate Natural Resources Committee Members Senators Phone Fax Charles Bronson Ginney Brown-Waite Locke Burt Charlie Crist Rick Dantzler John "Buddi' Dyer Robert Harden Jack Latvala Thomas Rossin Charles Williams 904-487-5056 9()4.487 ~S040 904-487-5033 904-487-5075 904-481-5044 904-487..5190 904-487-5009 904-487-5062 904-487-5356 904-487-5017 904..487..5842 , 904.544.2346 904-488.7891 813..893-5462 904-488.7619 407-317-7399 904-413-9100 904-487-5842 904..921-5188 904-487-5841 '