The Charter Review Commission (CRC) of Orange County is a committee appointed by the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) every 4 years and is comprised of 15 members. Each district Commissioner appoints two CRC Commissioners and the Mayor appoints three. The CRC is not able to change the charter but instead decides what questions are going to be put on the ballot during the Presidential election in November. These questions suggest changes to the charter and are to be voted on by Orange County voters.
County CommissionerBryan Nelson
I would like to give special recognition to the two Commissioners I appointed to the Charter Review Commission," said Bryan Nelson, County Commissioner for District 2. "The countless hours of work from Doug Gondera and Fred Brummer were greatly appreciated."
The 2016 Charter Review Commission held 84 meetings between February 12, 2016 and June 21, 2016; 65 work group meetings, 13 regular monthly business meetings and 6 public hearings. One in each Orange County District. During these meetings they voted on three separate charter amendments to be put on the ballot. The CRC comes to this decision after hearing from county staff, representatives from county organizations, and public testimonies at hearings.
Question 1 provides changes in the petition process. Ten percent of the county electors in each commission district shall sign a petition when pursuing to change or amend the Charter of Orange County. When looking to amend or repeal an Ordinance on the Charter, 7 percent of the county electors in each commission district must sign the petition. Both of these rules are being implemented in an attempt to provide equal representation from each district in the county. If all of the requirements are met it will be on the upcoming general election ballot.
Question 2 will make all constitutional officers (Tax Collectors, Property Appraiser, Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections, Comptroller and Clerk of the Circuit Court) elected, nonpartisan charter officers with term limits. These officers will still have the same authority as constitutional officers and will not be under the authority of the County Commission or County Mayor. This is the second time that this amendment will be appearing on the ballot. It was passed in 2014 and later overturned by a judge earlier this year.
Question 3 will recover any charter amendments that stipulate term limits or elections for county constitutional or charter officers and have ever been deemed unenforceable. This specific question is putting in place a mechanism to re-implement past policies that were overturned by the legal system. This charter will impose no financial impact on the County.
Since the CRC first started in 1986 the most controversial amendment that has been passed was in 1992. This amendment transitioned three constitutional officers to include; Property Appraiser, Sheriff, and Tax Collector into Charter offices thereby rescinding authorities that they held as constitutional officers. This amendment was later repealed by voters on the 1996 ballot.
For more information on the Charter Review Commission visit this website.
