The Pinecrest Village Council has scheduled a special election for Tuesday, Nov. 6, to submit three proposed amendments to the voters. The special election will coincide with the Presidential Election.
The amendments, recommended by the independent Charter Revision Commission, a board of Pinecrest citizens, relate to the swearing-in date of elected officials, budget reports and leases of Village property. The Village Council has unanimously endorsed all three amendments
The Nov. 6 ballot is 10 pages long. Of course, the most important decision you will make is who you will vote for as our next president. But, after that decision, Pinecrest has a very important issue on the ballot and we need your attention to this issue as well. It will impact whether we can go forward as planned to bring a wonderful new restaurant to Cypress Hall at Pinecrest Gardens. The bottom line is that the revisions are necessary to pursue a restaurant without the Village having to invest a million dollars or more of your tax dollars into the improvements. We want to create the opportunity for the restaurateur to make the investment by providing us the flexibility of negotiating a longer lease. So, if you want to see a restaurant, VOTE YES on the charter amendment regarding leases. The ballot language is below:
The Charter Revision Commission has recommended that the Village Charter be amended to provide an exception for foodservice leases in Cypress Hall at Pinecrest Gardens subject to a 4/5 vote of the Council. Shall the above described amendment be adopted (Yes or No)?
Voters also will decide on two other proposed amendments. One relates to the swearing-in date of newly elected members of the Village Council. The charter currently provides that a newly elected official be sworn in the next day after their election. The commission has recommended a change to provide that the term of office of any elected official shall commence on the seventh calendar day following the certification of the election by the Village Clerk. This ensures that the election results are final, as well as provides the newly elected official time to invite family, friends and supporters to the swearing-in ceremony.
The other charter amendment relates to budget reports. The current language requires the manager to submit a quarterly budget report to the Village Council. The recommended change would require a monthly report which conforms to the actual practice of the manager.
All registered voters of Pinecrest may cast ballots and make a decision on these proposed charter amendments. For a copy of Pinecrest’s sample ballot, including the charter amendments as well as two Village Council seats, visit www.pinecrestfl.gov/elections.
If you have questions regarding any of the proposed charter amendments, please feel free to contact me at clerner@pinecrestfl.gov or the members of the Village Council at council@pinecrest-fl.gov
