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19 Feb 06 Land issues
fuel interest in charter government
Proponents say
change would give people more say in decisions
PALATKA -- A suggestion to turn
Putnam County into a charter government and make commissioners more
responsive to the people picked up steam at Saturday's Rally for the Rivers
in Riverfront Park.
The charter government concept was
introduced at Friday's rally kickoff by Palm Beach lawyer Lesley Blackner
who represents a statewide organization, Florida Hometown Democracy.
The group is pushing a statewide referendum on giving more control
over proposed land-use changes in their communities back to the local
electorate.
Blackner reiterated her pitch on
Saturday. "If people are living in non-charter counties, they're totally at
the mercy of the County Commission. There are no mechanics for recall or
overturning an ordinance," she said.
She said she thought too many city
and county politicians had forgotten their job was to protect the quality of
life of citizens.
Her comments galvanized Tim Keyser, a
Putnam County lawyer, and drew the attention of two groups of residents
fighting the County Commission on land-use issues .
"I'm going to get with some people
over the next couple of weeks and see what we can do to get a charter for
Putnam," said Keyser, a longtime Putnam lawyer.
He did not into details.
The two groups of residents each had
booths at the rally and were making their views known to many who came to
the rally. One is a group of Lundy Road residents who are fighting efforts
to have their area annexed into Palatka so that a 3,000-plus housing
development can be built.
The other is a group opposed to the
recent County Commission approval vote to rezone property to allow a
Wal-Mart distribution center in south Putnam.
The Rally for the Rivers in support
of the St. Johns River and the Ocklawaha Rivers continues today at 1 p.m. on
the banks of the Ocklawaha on the southwest side of the Rodman Dam.
Blackner also spread the word about
the Florida Hometown Democracy petition drive. The petition concerns a
referendum on a proposed amendment to the state's growth management act. It
would require any proposed changes by a local government to its
comprehensive land-use plans to be voted on by the local electorate.
The group needs 611,000 signatures on
a petition to get on the ballot. She said about one-tenth of that number had
been collected.A hearing is scheduled in April before the Florida Supreme
Court to go over the revised wording in the amendment. "We will be on the
'08 ballot," she said confidently.
The city of Palatka already is a
charter government.
In addition to celebrating the
rivers, the rally also pitches the idea of environmental consciousness.
"We want to make this as close to
zero waste as possible," said Karen Ahlers, Environmental Council president.
Biodegradable utensils, paper plates,
compost and recycling bins were evident throughout the festival. "It's just
an active demonstration of what the individual can do," she said.
She said organizers wanted people to
be aware of what was in their own backyard and realize how much there was to
do related to nature.
More than 50 tours and treks were set
up throughout Saturday and today with most filled to capacity, according to
organizers.
By MARCIA LANE
marcia.lane@staugustinerecord.com
The St. Augustine Record
