Leon County Commissioners voted 6-1 to revise and revisit a proposed charter amendment addressing historical public policy disparities, following concerns that the measure could conflict with pending state legislation.
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Leon Co. leaders discuss public policy and future of the North Florida Fairgrounds in Tuesday meeting
The proposed amendment took up the majority of the meeting.
Commissioner Brian Welch, the only vote against the proposal, argued the change could conflict with a bill headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk, which would prohibit local governments from enacting diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and impose penalties for violations.
“You are jeopardizing your own seats at this table if you support what’s in this item. And I think that’s I mean, if you were making that decision right now. You want to support this item or lose your ability to advocate for the communities that you serve,” Welch said.
Supporters of the measure, including Commissioner Nick Maddox, spoke in favor of addressing historical harms without violating the potential new state law.
“My motion is for staff to bring back an item that looks nothing like what that looks at historical harms that does not include gender, race, anything like that. It’s just legacy. It’s just historical harmful policies that look at geographical areas. Bring it back to us in a way that could actually work,” Maddox said.
Commissioners say they now have a clearer understanding of what is legally permissible. The board voted to bring a fully revised proposal back to the next county commission meeting, pending approval from the citizens review committee.
The board also scheduled a public hearing for May 12 to address city ordinances that currently take precedent over county rules. Some commissioners said scaling back those rules could help make the community more affordable.
“If county ordinances superseded the city, we would be able to eliminate the fire services fee being charged on the City of Tallahassee utility. And so these are two clear ways where I do believe that this could increase affordability and lower the cost burden to residents across Leon County,” Commission Chairman Christian Caban said.
Additionally, the board tapped the County Chairman and County Administrator to continue negotiations with the North Florida Fair Association regarding the fairgrounds.
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