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Consolidation Advisory Committee Members Are Named
May 28, 2009
The advisory committees that will make recommendations to the full 25-member commission that will study the possibility of government consolidation in Escambia County have been named. The three committees will make recommendations in the areas of health care, public safety and economic development.
The full commission will meet for the first time next week. The group was formed after a bill sponsored by Rep. Greg Evers on behalf of the Pensacola special interest group Escambia All For One was approved by the Florida Legislature.
Charles Wood of the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce was named chairman of the Special Advisory Committee for Economic Development. Members of the committee, and the organization that appointed them, are:
- Pensacola Junior College: Dr. June Line
- Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce: Charles Wood
- Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce: Dana Story
- Pensacola Downtown Improvement Board: Bob Holmes
- The Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce: (position open)
- Florida Black Chamber: (position open)
- Florida’s Great Northwest: Al Wenstraud
- Town of Century Chamber of Commerce: Benny E. Barnes
- Walnut Hill Ruritan Club: Gary Wiggins
- The Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce: Jim Cox
- Women for Responsible Legislation: (position open)
James Hosman of the Escambia County Fire Services Advisory Board was named chairman of the Special Advisory Committee for Public Safety. Members of the committee, and the organization that appointed them, are:
- Sheriff of Escambia County: William Chavers
- Chief of Police City of Pensacola: Chip Simmons
- Escambia County Community Corrections Bureau: Gordon Pike
- Escambia County Public Safety Bureau Chief: Trisha K. Polmann
- Fire Chief of the City of Pensacola: Frank Edwards
- Fire Chief of Escambia County: John Sims
- Escambia County Medical Director: Charles L. Neal, D.O.
- Escambia County Fire Services Advisory Board: James Hosman
- Police Benevolent Association of the City of Pensacola: (position open)
- Police Benevolent Association of Escambia County: Bain Custer
- Chapter of the International Association of Firefighters City of Pensacola: John D. Chapman
- Escambia County Professional Firefighters: Dan Brask
Jules Kariher of Sacred Heart Health System was named chairman of the Special Advisory Committee for Health Care. Members of the committee, and the organization that appointed them, are:
- Baptist Health Care: (position open)
- Sacred Heart Health System: Jules Kariher
- West Florida Hospital: Dennis Taylor, CEO
- Escambia County Health Department: Susan Turner, M.D.
- The Escambia Medical Society: Michael Rieshera, M.D.
The full consolidation committee is tasked with creating a consolidation plan to be submitted to the Escambia County Commission, the City of Pensacola and the Town of Century for action before submission to the Escambia County legislative delegation by January 15, 2010. Once approved by the legislature, the plan would be presented to Escambia County voters.
Comments
17 Responses to “Consolidation Advisory Committee Members Are Named”
They should not merge. It is easier to stop, than it is go forward, and back -up.and this is really true of government.
I believe a lot of the concerns some of you have are reasonable, but if you did some homework on the issue, you’ll find that most of your conerns won’t be realized. I think if you actually talked to someone on the commission or even your editor for NorthEscambia, you’d have a better understanding of the structure of the commission and the committees that were formed to provide input to them. Bill Davison is the only one that seems to have done his homework and come up with some concerns that have some real teeth. Bill, what are your thoughts on these comments to your points below?:
1. A charter government is nothing more than a government adopting a document which spells out the the rights of its citizens and the powers, duties and structure of its government. The difference between a county with charter government and one without is that those areas within the county that lack a charter are governed by the State. I would argue that the residents of the county are better able to govern themselves rather than the State of Florida.
2. As for recall provisions, I believe you’ll find that FL 100.361 spells out how our government can recall a member of our city or charter government in the City of Pensacola or Century. However, my understanding is that County voters can’t recall county commissioners from office or approve most county proposals. How do you think Marie Young originally was APPOINTED to the commission? The State of Florida has jurisdiction over that matter whereas a government with a charter can control that matter. I think most people would prefer a charter if they understood what it really meant as opposed to having someone who doesn’t understand your area govern from 200 miles away. Charters can include a recall provision.
3. I don’t know where you came up with metro-gov, but everything I have READ thus far in the matter of this proposal is that the government will be called Pensacola-Escambia, if approved, and it is just as possible to change it back to it’s original form as it is to consolidate.
4. Bill, ECUA WILL go under the new consolidated government? Really? Where did you read that? I think that is being proposed, but if people feel strongly about that not happening then it won’t happen. As for taxes, franchise fees and assessments, you’re insinuating that those haven’t been a problem before? Frankly, and you and I know this for fact, that if our government decides it’s going to assess new taxes, fees or assessments, it’s going to do it regardless of the entity it is assigned to unless enough people speak out against it. By all means, keep it seperate from the government, but does everyone feel insulated from tax increases or new assessments? No.
Most of these arguments all boil down to a zero-sum game. Your going to have just as many advantages as you will disadvantages. Almost all of the disadvantages you can think of are either present or possible under our current form of government. Nearly all of the advantages are possible under our current form of government. The key difference is that our combined governments have demonstrated that they can’t work together and the few times they’ve tried in the recent past, the efforts were soon forgotten and ultimately they worked against each other to our detriment.
Sorry about that escambiamom I should have did that, but I try to stay north of 29 0n 97 most of the time. I will try and do better next time.
It would seem that every one blogging here has a very firm idea of how they wish to live and what type of government that they wish to have , except May 28. or Mr pensacola. All of you have hit the nail on the head about consolidation. I know EAFO reads this blog and are not happy with what they read , but so be it, We in the county know that the city can not attend to their own affairs, much less run the county. Keep up the great blogging and let us send them a very strong message that WE DO NOT WISH TO BELONG TO THE CITY OF PENSACOLA OR TO BE RULED BY THEM. LEARN TO ANNEX LIKE THE CITY OF MOBILE AND VOTE NO ON CONSOLIDATION.
Pensacola,
No taxes up here?? We wish! And I’ll have to tell the mortgage company to stop holding it in escrow then, lol. We may not pay the highest amounts in the whole county, but if you factored in the sum vs. the amount of services we receive in the north end, I’d bet that the scales would be tipping towards the giving side for North Escambia.
There are some lovely homes up here and even better people. I’d tell you to come up and see for yourself, but since you stated elsewhere that being in Century might lead one to a life of crime, I’d recommend staying in the city for all of our sakes!
(You can’t be the same “Pensacola” from the PNJ forum?? It doesn’t sound like the same tone??)
And Walnut Hill Resident, some of us North Cantonment/South Molino people consider ourselves country-like, good folk, and North Enders, too! Please don’t let them incorporate us!!! (big grin) Besides that, I agreed with what you said. I have lived all over, too, but I love it up here.
And, Go NorthEscambia.com !
First of all Pensacola you are an insurance burden to the north end of the county. Our insurance prices have doubled because of beach property.Second of all you have no idea what the north end pays in taxes as if you think our taxes don’t help the county you are sadly wrong. My place of business pays well over $20,000,00 dollars a year in county property taxes. How much do you contribute Pensacola with your nice house. Also the fire tax helps pay alot of money into the county fund from the north end since most of us have land not a lot for our homes to sit on. My home is not a shotgun home but, it is protected by a shotgun you can bet on that. Shotgun homes and moblie homes are fine if that is all you can afford to have folks. We still love them because they are our neighbors and friends even if they don’t live in a big fancy home. Not everyone was born with the silver spoon. When it comes to country folks we know how to take care of our own and we live within our means. I have lived in some of the big cities of this country and I can tell you this much GIVE ME WALNUT HILL and the people that live in this area no matter what kind of home they have. Decent hard working country people that love family and friends and know most of their neighbors. So you can take Perdido Key and Pensacola they both don’t have what we have. This will never pass and we all know it from past votes on it. North Escambia voters make sure to go to the poles and vote when it comes up for the vote. Show them what the north end vote can do. Next time let’s see if we can get someone from the real north end on the county commission. Never know who might run from this end of the county. I should have included Bratt, Byrneville, Enon, Century, Nokomis, Davisville, and all the other small communities that make up the north end of this county. We may be country folks but, we take pride in that .
pensacola is an idiot, he needs leave the city limits and explore the north end. I think he may see some mighty fancy trailers and shotgun houses. Get to for off the beaten path and you may get an education in what life is really like. Visit the best schools in the county a lot of fine caring people
Mrs Mobley if you relied on the tax base of north escambia you would starve. The tax base for escambia is Perdido Key. You have absolutely nothing but trailers and shotgun homes that probably pay no tax after the fifty thousand homestead, but by all means start your own county, you would be less of a burden for the rest of us taxpayers.
You are so right Mr. Davidson, the current system has worked so well for Escambia County. No need to even attempt to improve.
How many times do we have to vote this down? We have said no not once by three times in my life time.
There are some things I do not understand. This county is not very wide but is about 50 miles long and the town sitting on the water wants to be over the whole area. If we out of towners wanted to be in Pensacola we would have chosen to live there. I really wish this thing would stop. Maybe we should just vote to be a different county north of the nine mile road. We would take the tax base with us and probably do a lot better. At least we would have a centeralized government.
No to consolidation.
Four IMPORTANT items about “consolidation” which really is “charter” government:
1. Charter government has been ruled by the Florida Supreme Court as possessing BROADER TAXING AUTHORITY! (Volusia vs. Dickinson)
2. Recall under this charter will be FL. statute 100.361. It’s a real laffer!
Absolutely NO RECALL there!
3. Consolidation charter is called “metro-gov.” This form of charter government cannot not be changed without permission of the Florida legislature.
4. ECUA wil go under the charter which means FRANCHISE FEES CAN BE PLACED ON ALL WATER, SEWER AND GARBAGE BILLS!
Stay abreast folks! The downtowners wanna take over local government again!
DON”T FORGET!! Greg Evers started this dog and pony show. Remember that name and vote the rascal our of office. Campaign against him even if he runs for dog catcher. We don’ t need anymore politicians like Greg Evers. He listened to the special interest and not the people he represents. VOTE NO ON CONSOLIDATION AND VOTE AGAINST GREG EVERS!!
A bunch of people to advise each other and nothing will be accompilished. Everyone advising — advising — advising–nothing accompolished. We do not need one government…..everyone has different needs. The City needs somethng that the country does not need. The Country has different needs from the cityl…and so on……it is not a win win situation….. I agree VOTE NO ON CONSOLIDATOIN.
Jay — These are just the committees that advise the commission that would be made up of ANOTHER 25 people. They will have to use a big meeting room for nearly 60 people if they all meet together.
“The camel is really a horse that was designed by committee”
I’m a bit baffled by all the committees this thing needs. There were so many groups who “may”, “can” and “shall” appoint people to the consolidation panel that it seems like there could be more than 25 people on the actual consolidation committee. Are these 3 advisory committees additional people, or are they subdividing the main group of 25 into specialties? Will there be more advisory groups? How many of the 25 appointments have been made so far and who are they, anyone know?
Too many chiefs and not enough indians!
I count 28 positions available in this article, and these don’t include those that are to be appointed by each county commissioner, which would bring the total to 33. So how many positions are there supposed to be, 25?
You can see that this is a monster that will gobble up tax dollars, and just think, they haven’t even held the first meeting.
NO ON CONSOLIDATION!
Since when have you ever gotten 25 people to agree on any thing? And since when has adding more government ever solved anything? This is a system that will dilute our voice in government, I guess as we have all read that the city council has no problem with a 3 cent gas hike that we will pay more of because of our location and will recieve no benafit from it. Well get ready for more of the same if we consolildate. But remember. EAFO will say any thing that they think you will beleive to get this to pass. Let the city learn to annex like Mobile. VOTE NO ON CONSOLIDATION