Read The Plan: Government Consolidation Proposal Is Complete

January 16, 2010

The plan for a new consolidated government in Escambia County was submitted to the Northwest Florida legislative delegation on Friday.

The 45-page, 14,426 word document spells out the plan created by the Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission to consolidate the governments of Escambia County, the City of Pensacola and the Town of Century.

readplan.jpgThe Town of Century has withdrawn all support from the idea of consolidation, and the Escambia County Commission has asked the legislative delegation to delay any referendum vote on consolidation until 2012 at the earliest. The Pensacola City Council considered, but failed to pass, a similar motion requesting a delay in the public’s vote on the issue. Instead, the council will decide January 25 what action to take. The legislative act that created the consolidation study commission does not require the support of any of the three governments to proceed.

The Northwest Florida legislative delegation will have just over a month to review the plan before potentially submitting it to the legislature to set a referendum vote of the public as early as November 2010.

To read the consolidation plan in its entirety, click here (pdf).

Comments

18 Responses to “Read The Plan: Government Consolidation Proposal Is Complete”

  1. Concerned Molino Resident on January 18th, 2010 7:44 am

    Is it official that the vote will not take place until 2012? Last I saw on that was a decision would be made on January 25th to determine when it is voted on.

  2. Jack Moran on January 17th, 2010 9:35 pm

    Mr. Peacock – Pensacola swings a large block of votes; a block thar has already approved a “Strong (controlling) Mayor” Charter and WE HAVE ELECTED a slate of Commissioners that DONT know how to follow the (bid) laws, ask an attorney, or a minister for that matter. You snooze you lose. This is too important to take deep breaths and wait till it passes – Thank You.

  3. Jack Moran on January 17th, 2010 9:21 pm

    Yes SW. These BOZOS think they can RE-WRIGHT our form of government in such a way as to expand their control-opportunities rather than follow the laws and rules of a system that has worked well for nearly three centuries.

    However; BENNY is right, it is Walnut Hill, Bratt, Byrneville, Molino, Davisville and all if the small communities that MUST come together to organize and resist this THREAT. We didn’t move to the country to live under a corrupt metropolitian-based DICTATORSHIP.

    We all have family, friends & relatives in Century, Cantonment, Perdido Key, and Pensacola we can lobby and influence to work against this vote now scheduled for 2012.

    The country people of the North-End are being taken advantage of – one day we will learn to elect people of high moral CHACTER and ETHICAL STANDARDS. And we need a better test of character than we have had in the past.

    THIS IS A WAKE-UP CALL!!!

  4. John Peacock on January 17th, 2010 1:26 pm

    anydaynow, no I am not. I actually live in the county

  5. anydaynow on January 17th, 2010 12:10 pm

    John Peacock, are you a city employee or do you draw a pension from the city?

  6. John Peacock on January 17th, 2010 10:54 am

    Benny, take a deep breath! Your thoughts on how the vote will take place are not accurate. A majority of voters in the county and a majority in the city of Pensacola have to vote yes. If that occurs then it is done. If everyone in the city voted yes and a majority of county voters vote no, then everything will remain the same as it is today.

  7. Molested on January 17th, 2010 10:10 am

    Why doesn’t Century, Walnut Hill, Molino make their own counter proposal to the Florida legislature and remove yourself from Pensacola? You have to stop waiting to see what is happening with Pcola and the county. If the largest segment of the population is the county then take control. Propose new legislature. It will not be quick or easy and you may need a lawyer or Mr Evers or Murzin to help you word the proposal.

  8. BENNY on January 16th, 2010 10:35 pm

    Please understand!!!!!!! Just voting no in Nov. will not get it!!!! Pensacola votes are a majority of the votes all they have to do is get majority of votes in Pensacola city limits which is who will benefit and ESCAMBIA COUNTY AND NORTH END BECOMING A PART OF PENSACOLA CITY LIMITS IS A DONE DEAL!!!!!!! I myself don’t intend to pay pensions plans for the wealthy and corrupt. I paid almost $3000.00 for a septic tank 11 years ago that works just fine that in no way harms anyone else. Might I add the Department of Environment Agency stated the northend had much better water quality after testing than pensacola. Septic tanks being a hazard to our health is just a cover up/excuse. I will not go on a public sewer system just because someone wantes money to pay for their screw up in managing the city of Pensacola. Read the consolidation plan they will make their rules up as they want and as they go.. Here’s what you can probably expect city tax. additional property tax ( what do you think the rezoning is about?) They already have control of garbage! ECUA. Just wait til vote goes thru they will control garbage, water, gas, electricity Etc. If you will study it like I have you will figure out county commissions, ecua, and gulf power all spend a lot of time together!!!!! You figure it out before its too late! Either you start working on this now or just let it happen!!!!!!!!

  9. Laura Cook on January 16th, 2010 10:20 pm

    Neighbors: Just look what happened with our land in the North end. We cannot sell our land unless it is within the acreage of the document sujbmitted. This group of people who did this with our land were made up of people who never had any land in the county except maybe a house on a small plot of land. We all went to meeting to protest or some of us did but it was passed by our GREAT county government. If we have land now that we want to sell or give to our children and it is listed in thewrong category, we ARE MANDATED ON HOW MUCH WE DEED THEM. I’m sick of this dictatorship. We try to get a voice from our end of the county elected to an office and we cannot because the people that know nothing about or end of the world have to vote on these people and they all think we are all uneducated, just “country hicks” and not qualified to be on the commission. So we fail to have a spokesman from our world. Let’s don’t give the city of Pensacola a voice in our world up here. The county does not care about us now. That was evident in closing our county facility, the Billy Ward Judicial center recently. With proper planning this could have been kept open by scheduling workers to be there just certain days of week for certain hours.
    My husband and I have not received a flu shot in two years because we have no one from the COUNTY HEALTH DEPT. come up to aid this end of world. They built a small Health facility, never staffed it, then all of a sudden it was locked up and supposedly the county law enforcement uses it. I’ve never seen anyone there. All that money was spent on this building and not being used. This is our County government so throw the city in there helping to run things and before long our children will be bussed to Pensacola for school. The county is suipposed to have a transit system but do you see it coming thru Walnut Hill,Davisville, Oak Grove, or Bratt? Our tax dollars are paying for it to run every day someplace but only the good Lord knows where. As for me and my house we are DEFINITELY VOTING ‘NO” ON ANY CONSOLIDATION. Our communities up here need organizing and getting some federal dollars with grants,and other help.

  10. rebel on January 16th, 2010 8:48 pm

    Just say No! No means No!!!!!

  11. BENNY on January 16th, 2010 5:18 pm

    add on to Benny’s comment! Read 1.02 (Name) section of consolitdation plan to end. It doesn’t say Pensacola, Escambia and Century. It says Pensacola and Century!!!!!! escambia residents are not mentioned. Wonder Why?????

  12. BENNY on January 16th, 2010 4:40 pm

    I say again, century and north end need to stand together. Its votes that count. Why not form our own city from outside pensacola city limits to north end?????Just a thought. If its not too late! That’s what Pensacola is trying to do to you. Right now NO ONE in PENSACOLA CARES what we think. Its a mostly a world today about what’s in it for me personally. Lets take it back to the good old days when communites united together for what’s right and what’s not for all. They know they have the votes in pensacola to control all of escambia county to push the consolidation through. Although, county commissoners for north end need to be voted in one more term. (So hey, they probabley say “lets fight to get the vote delayed til we get elected one more term)Shame on us for not waking up earlier. AND CENTURY RESIDENTS? YES, you do have a little advantage. You can stay the way you are now with not much ! (less than you had in previous years) Read the consolidation PLAN!! northescambia.com has gracially given you access too!!!!!! Thank You northescambia.com!!!!!
    If you don’t go along, they will just DELETE Century from the consolidation. Then you will have nothing!!!! And less in the future compared to what you have now!So see it’s a no win situation either way you look at it. Do you really think they would spend the money & time to go this far without KNOWING what they can do!!!!!!!! without your approval!!!!! that doesn’t matter!!!!! All they need is everyone but Century. They can still survive their debts with what they know they will get. See we all need each other!!!! UNITED WE STAND!!!! or DIVIDED WE FALLll!!!!!!!!!!!
    EVERYBODIES CHOICE!!!!!!!!

    Anyone with a better suggestion would love to hear about it!!!! We need to go back to old days when neighbors cared about neighbors and not just ourselves.
    Us Hicks in northend

  13. David Huie Green on January 16th, 2010 1:59 pm

    “Except for the purpose of an inquiry, neither the Council nor any of its
    members shall give orders either publicly or privately to any employee or
    Page 19 of 45
    appointive officer under the direction of the Mayor or Chief Administrative
    Officer.”

    This would be a good thing. A person would not have a hundred bosses.

    It doesn’t seem to list any penalties for trying to boss workers around but I didn’t read past that point yet so maybe it does.

  14. David Huie Green on January 16th, 2010 1:47 pm

    REGARDING:
    “The Mayor and the council can do anything they want under the name of an Emergency. I am still reading to find clear language of what consititues an emergency for each scenario.”

    If you have to list all possible types of emergency in advance, then you won’t be able to deal with an unexpected emergency.

    Most emergencies are unexpected up to that time.

    If they abuse the power (and they would) you can vote them out in staggered votes.

    Not that you will, because you get used to abuses of power, just look at our federal system: it does many things clearly forbidden in the Constitution but accepted because they are considered good things.

    David, before reading the final report

  15. John on January 16th, 2010 11:10 am

    Molested is hoping and challenging everyone in the county to read the entire 45 dcoument and then google “Florida Legislature” put yourr zipcode in the box, and voice their opinion. I don’t think you have to wait for the polls to open.

  16. Name (required) on January 16th, 2010 10:59 am

    SW,

    The problem with your post (which I know was in jest) is that those who choose to live in the city ASSUME that all would feel this way. Some DO want to pay the government for these things… and would have EVERYONE do the same.

    Many supporters of ‘mother government’ seem to believe that the rest of us would be better off if they just made the rules for the rest of us.

  17. John on January 16th, 2010 10:56 am

    I just picked this one off page 25. Everyone should read the entire document before you vote.

    THE Authority may adopt bylaws and may make all policies,
    procedures, rules, and regulations not inconsistent with this charter which it may
    deem necessary respecting the conduct of its affairs, including, but not limited to,
    the operation of its utility systems.

    What is funny to me is the people in Pensacola who think this is a GOOD IDEA. This thing is full of caveats and emergency bypasses. The Mayor and the council can do anything they want under the name of an Emergency. I am still reading to find clear language of what consititues and emergency for each scenario.

    Molested

  18. SW on January 16th, 2010 9:19 am

    Wouldn’t it just be easier for the city of Pensacola to expand it’s city limits to the county lines?

    Just think, then we could all just live in the city and have all the city amenities, right?

    We would get about the same representation and services.

    Vote NO on consolidation, folks.