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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026 06 18 Ad Hoc Charter Review Orientation Meeting Minutes AD HOC CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE ORIENTATION MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026 CITY HALL – COMMISSION CHAMBERS 1126 EAST STATE ROAD 434, WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA CALL TO ORDER City Attorney Anthony Garganese called the Orientation Meeting of the Ad Hoc Charter Review Committee to order Thursday, June 18, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. in the Commission Chambers of the Municipal Building (City Hall, 1126 East State Road 434, Winter Springs, Florida 32708). Roll Call: Committee Member Eddie Rivera, present Committee Member David Bear, present Committee Member Joseph Dionne, present Committee Member Art Gallo, present Committee Member Jean Hovey, present Committee Member Louie Hilal, present Committee Member Philip Kaprow, present via phone Also present: City Attorney Anthony Garganese Interim City Clerk Tristin Tarrant Director of Administrative Services and Operations Brian Dunigan Communications Director Matthew Reeser Ms. Lynn Tipton, Florida League of Cities, Inc. The Committee held a moment of silence followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. 1. Introductions by City Attorney, Staff, and Committee Members City Attorney Garganese opened with introducing himself and relayed he would be the facilitator during the Charter Review process. The present staff also introduce themselves to the Committee as follows: Interim City Clerk Tristin Tarrant, Communications Director Matthew Reeser; and Director of Administrative Services and Operations Brian Dunigan. Mayor Kevin McCann was present to briefly address the Committee to express gratitude on behalf of the residents of Winter Springs for their time, work and efforts. City Attorney Garganese also noted that Ms. Lynn Tipton was present, a consultant formerly with the Florida League of Cities, who will be presenting an overview of municipal charters and best practices as requested by the City Commission. Lastly, in turn, each Committee Member introduced themselves and provided some of their background. 2. Overview of the Committee's Purpose and Duties (staff/legal counsel) City Attorney Garganese delivered a presentation covering the Committee's purpose, scope, timeline, applicable legal requirements, and reference materials. City Attorney Garganese explained that the primary focus of the committee is to conduct a comprehensive review of the existing City of Winter Springs Charter through public meetings with a goal to submit a final report of recommended proposed charter amendments, if any, for the Commission's consideration. City Attorney Garganese CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA AD HOC CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE ORIENTATION MEETING MINUTES – JUNE 18, 2026 PAGE 2 OF 4 outlined the primary responsibilities and provided an overview of the City Charter's thirteen (13) articles. City Attorney Garganese identified the deadline and explained, following the receipt of the report, the Commission would then determine whether to place any proposed charter amendments on the ballot for consideration during the 2028 General Election. A brief overview was also provided to the Committee on legal limitations, Sunshine Law, Public Records and the ethic policy. 3. Overview of Municipal Charters and Charter Review Best Practices (Florida League of Cities speaker) Ms. Lynn Tipton delivered a presentation on the nature of municipal charters and best practices for charter review. Ms. Tipton relayed common charter elements that receive the most attention during review processes, include: the size of the governing body; the length of terms; whether term limits should be imposed; the method of electing council members; and the method of selecting the mayor. The primary forms of municipal government were shared with the committee. Describing the differences between a "strong mayor" and "weak mayor” form under a mayor-council structure noting that strong mayor cities vest administrative authority directly in the mayor, while weak mayor cities distribute that authority among the council as a whole. Ms. Tipton presented a list of peer cities for comparison purposes suggesting the Committee look at the peer cities when seeking examples and noted that the Model City Charter contains useful guiding questions within each section. Regarding best practices, Ms. Tipton recommended that staff and the Committee work collaboratively. 4. Committee Questions and Discussion Following Ms. Tipton's presentation, Committee Member Rivera asked for Ms. Tipon’s opinion on some key measurables and the additional process once the Committee has made their decision. Ms. Tipon recommended analyzing the charter and community as a big picture because no two are alike and confirmed the Committee's recommendations would go to the City Commission, which they then would determine what, if anything, is placed on the ballot or addressed through ordinance. Committee Member Rivera additional inquired whether data existed regarding the number of recommendations made by the 2011 Charter Review Committee and how many were ultimately adopted by the City Commission. City Attorney Garganese confirmed and that the information could be provided to the Committee. 5. Election of Chair and Vice Chair City Attorney Garganese opened the floor for nominations for the Chairperson of the Charter Review Committee. I MOVE THAT [COMMITTEE MEMBER] ART GALLO BE THE CHAIRPERSON FOR THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE. MOTION MADE BY COMMITTEE MEMBER HOVEY. SECONDED BY COMMITTEE MEMBER RIVERA. DISCUSSION. Interim City Clerk noted for the records that Committee Member Kaprow was no longer present on the phone for the vote. VOTE: BEAR (AYE); DIONNE (AYE); GALLO (AYE); HILAL (AYE); HOVEY (AYE); RIVERA (AYE) Chairperson Gallo presided over the remainder of the meeting and immediately called for nominations for Vice Chairperson. CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA AD HOC CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE ORIENTATION MEETING MINUTES – JUNE 18, 2026 PAGE 3 OF 4 COMMITTEE MEMBER EDDIE RIVERA EXPRESSED WILLINGNESS TO SERVE AS VICE CHAIRPERSON AND NOMINATED HIMSELF. COMMITTEE MEMBER HOVEY SECONDED THE NOMINATION. VOTE: GALLO (AYE); BEAR (AYE); DIONNE (AYE); HILAL (AYE); HOVEY (AYE); RIVERA (AYE) 6. Discussion of Future Meeting Schedule and Work Plan Chairperson Gallo opened discussion regarding the scheduling of future meetings and the Committee's work plan. The Committee agreed upon a monthly meeting schedule and established the following three meeting dates, all starting at 5:30 PM: July 23, 2026; August 20, 2026; September 17, 2026. The Committee gave consensus that the July meeting would focus on Articles 1 through 4 of the City Charter, with the understanding that Article 4 (governing body) is sufficiently substantive and may not be fully addressed in one meeting. City Attorney Garganese noted that the Model City Charter's commentary sections provide useful historical background on the rationale for various governance recommendations and encouraged Committee members to read them carefully. The Committee requested staff to provide the charters of the five peer cities identified by Ms. Tipton; and the Model City Charter, 9th Edition, distributed separately from the original agenda packet in advance of the next meeting for consideration. PUBLIC INPUT Chairperson Gallo opened Public Input. Gina Shafer, Winter Springs raised concerns regarding potential legislative interference in the charter review process, referencing a pervious attempt. Mr. Shafer also recommended the Committee examine the role of social media usage for city officials noting additional concern, the ceremonial Mayor position and terms limits for the Commissioner. Lastly, Ms. Shafer thanked the committee for their work and effort. Chairperson Gallo closed Public Input. Discussion ensued on the location of the meeting information and the FLC suggestion of a frequently asked questions page for the city website. Communications Director Reeser responded that staff could work to establish a dedicated webpage for the Charter Review Committee. The discussion transitioned to a lengthy debate on public input, engagement and the appropriate use of social media as part of the public engagement process. Director Reeser strongly advised utilizing the website instead of social media to obtain comments from residents. Director Reeser also relayed staff could explore the option of an online submission form through which comments could be provided, with the ability to verify residency of the submitter. The consensus of the Committee was that social media could be used to publicize meetings information, and that public meetings should serve as the primary mechanism to obtain public input. The Committee asked if there would be any direction or input provided by Commission or staff. Operations Director Dunigan confirmed that relevant department heads would be made available to the Committee as technical resources as the review progresses into articles pertaining to their respective areas of responsibility. The Committee additionally requested of staff to prepare a comparative matrix of key governance provisions with information such as term limits, mayor voting authority, and body size across the peer cities and Winter Springs.