Sebastian Charter Review Committee elects chair, sets timeline to shape ballot proposals

The Sebastian Charter Review Committee elected Vicky Drumheller as chair and Grace Reed as vice chair at its Jan. 5 meeting, and laid out a schedule to finish its work in time for the city to place proposed charter amendments on the November ballot.

An unnamed staff member leading the meeting (referred to in the transcript as Jim) told members the committee’s job is to review the city charter “line by line, section by section” and prepare recommended amendments for the City Council to consider. He emphasized that the council—not the committee—decides which recommendations go to voters.

The group decided to elect officers by written (non-secret) ballot because Florida’s sunshine/open-meetings rules generally prohibit secret ballots; the clerk will retain the ballots as public records. After nominations, the clerk announced Drumheller received nine votes and Richard Gilmore five and is the committee chair. Grace Reed was elected vice chair in a separate vote.

The committee reviewed a proposed meeting schedule through April and confirmed regular meetings at 6:00 p.m., with the caveat that dates may be adjusted if the body needs more time or if member conflicts arise. Members noted one potential conflict with Monday, April 6 (the day after Easter) and discussed using Zoom for members who can’t attend in person.

For next steps, the committee agreed to focus on Article 1 (creation and powers, roughly pages 1–7 of the provided workbook) at its next meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 27. The chair and staff urged members to review the material in advance so meetings can focus on substantive changes. The lead staff member reminded members to keep the number of referendum questions manageable—recommending “maybe 6 to 8 changes” to avoid voter fatigue—and explained that staff will draft legislative text to reflect the committee’s consensus for later review.

On the importance of avoiding off-record deliberations, the staff member recounted an example of an unlawful outside discussion that resulted in charges and warned, “you just can’t talk charter” outside public meetings. City Manager Brian told the committee that staff would be available to answer questions by phone or email between meetings.

The committee adjourned after confirming the schedule and assignments. The next meeting is set for Jan. 27, when members will begin discussion of Article 1.