Charter Review Advisory Committee

CITY OF SEBASTIAN CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE PUBLIC HEARING MINUTES TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2026 - 6:00 P.M. CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1225 MAIN STREET, SEBASTIAN, FLORIDA 1. CALL TO ORDER – Chair Drumheller opened the meeting at 6:00 p.m. 2. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all. 3. ROLL CALL Present: Grace Reed Jeanne Hill Bill Flynn Scott Liberatore Richard Gillmor Vickie Drumheller Sharon Herman Nicholas Scheskowsky David Moore Charles Stadelman (via Zoom) Excused Absence Tim Borden Susan Lorusso Felicia Hollorman Wanda Simmons Tegpreet Singh Also Present: James Stokes, City Attorney Cathy Testa, Acting City Clerk 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Approval of April 20, 2026 Minutes The committee reviewed the April 20, 2026 minutes. Vice Chair Reed moved to accept them as written, seconded by Mr. Scheskowsky. The motion passed unanimously, approving the minutes. 5. PUBLIC HEARING A. Review Amended Charter Recommendations to City Council Chair Drumheller opened the Public Hearing at 6:01 p.m. The City Attorney then asked the committee whether it preferred to vote on each of the four proposed charter amendments individually or collectively. The committee agreed to consider all four in a single vote, noting that they had reviewed the amendments extensively over the prior months. The City Attorney then summarized each of CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE PUBLIC HEARING MAY 12, 2026 MINUTES PAGE 2 the four proposed changes, all of which had been attached to the agenda and posted publicly on the city's website in their entirety. i. Charter Section 2.02: Eligibility The City Attorney explained that this amendment revises the definition of domicile to require that a candidate reside in the city for at least 270 days per year — approximately three-fourths of the year — rather than relying solely on a stated intention to make the city one's domicile. The amendment also adds restrictions related to pending criminal matters, arrests, or convictions for individuals seeking to qualify for office. ii. Charter Section 2.05: Compensation This amendment increases the compensation of elected officials. The Mayor's monthly stipend would increase from $450 to $750, and the Vice Mayor's and Council Members' stipends would increase from $300 to $600. The City Attorney noted this represents the first compensation increase in approximately 20 years. The amendment also introduces an automatic elevator provision tying future increases to the same cost-of-living adjustments received by general city employees, to prevent compensation from falling behind in the future. iii. Charter Section 2.08: Vacancies; forfeiture of office; filling of vacancies The City Attorney explained that this section was amended to align with state law. The previous charter language suggested that the City Council could suspend or remove an official and later reinstate them if criminal matters were resolved. Under Florida law, however, suspension and reinstatement are exclusively the function of the Governor. The section was cleaned up to correctly reflect this legal framework. iv. Charter Article VI: Transition The City Attorney explained that Article VI is a transition article originally included when Sebastian first became a charter city. Its purpose was to ensure that governmental actions taken prior to incorporation — including property titles, ordinances, and other legal acts — remained in effect. Because the city has now been a charter city for several decades, this language is entirely obsolete. The proposal is to remove Article VI in its entirety. . Chair Drumheller asked the committee if anyone had any questions or discussion. With no further discussion or members of the public present or on Zoom, Mr. Gillmor motioned to recommend the Charter Amendments to Council. Mr. Scheskowsky seconded. The motion passed unanimously. 6. NEW BUSINESS Ms. Herman raised a question regarding the ballot language, specifically noting that the word limit for ballot descriptions can lead to confusion for voters. The CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE PUBLIC HEARING MAY 12, 2026 MINUTES PAGE 3 City Attorney addressed this under Staff Matters, outlining the full process going forward. 7. STAFF MATTERS The City Attorney outlined the next steps following the committee's vote. The recommendations will be presented to City Council on May 26, 2026. Council may accept, reject, modify, or return the amendments to the committee with additional direction. If Council moves forward, the City Attorney will draft the required ballot language in compliance with statutory requirements, including translation into Spanish via a certified interpreter. The amendments will then be incorporated into an ordinance requiring two readings before Council: a first reading and a second reading with public hearings, currently scheduled for June 24, 2026 and July 8, 2026, respectively. Following the second reading, the ordinance will be transmitted to the Supervisor of Elections for placement on the November 2026 ballot. 8. COMMITTEE MEMBER MATTERS - None 9. NEXT MEETING Chair Drumheller noted that there has not been a formally scheduled date for the next meeting, as the timing will depend on the outcome of the Council proceedings. The committee's existing list of potential meeting dates remains in place, and members were asked to monitor their email for scheduling updates. Absent any complications in the process, the final Charter Review Committee meeting — at which the committee would formally dissolve — is tentatively set for July 28, 2026. 10. ADJOURN Being no further business, Chair Drumheller adjourned the Charter Review Committee meeting at 6:11 p.m. By: ________________________________________ Date: ________________________ Chair Drumheller