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Hernando Today

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 23, 2008

Law Stipulates Special

Election Must Be Held

The letter in today's Hernando Today about government "of the people by the people and for the people" seems to have been lost on the people who are running the Spring Hill Fire Rescue District.

For the past six weeks SHFR officials have been crafting a bill to be presented to the Legislature to establish the independent district. This bill, which will be presented to the public for the first time at the Tuesday, Dec. 30, meeting has been written in the back room with no input from the public. I was told by state Rep. Rob Schenck that the public will have their voice heard on Dec. 30 at the public meeting.

This meeting is being held at a time when many people are traveling for the holidays and won't be able to attend. From what I have seen, unless there is some heinous legal issue with the wording of the bill, it will be rubber stamped by the Legislature and become law when the governor signs it. The latest copy I have seen, which by the way isn't available except by request, this despite having a working Web site where it could be posted. This version eliminates any special election for fire commissioners and delays the vote on the rate cap until 2010.

When the voters went to the polls on Nov. 4, they voted to fill the seats of three fire commissioners of a dependent district. not an independent district. They also voted for a nonbinding resolution to create an independent district. Now, I am being told that the vote on Nov. 4 is to be construed as voting on the bill that is being crafted. So, in essence, unless a new vote is held as provided for in Chapter 191, the voters on Nov. 4 voted for a bill that didn't exist.

There should be an election held to present the bill as adopted by the Legislature. Two questions should be on this vote: Should a special district be created; and should the rate cap be set at 2.75. Incidentally, this very language appeared in the first draft of the bill. It seems to have disappeared in later versions. This will allow the voters to specifically agree to the language of the bill.

These same commissioners, since there will be no new elections until 2010, will manage the newly created independent district. Currently, the human resources and financial management are provided by the county. With independence, these services, and the people who will be hired to perform them, will fall on the fire commissioners to manage. My concern is that absent new elections, which might bring out candidates with proven management experience, we will have management oversight provided by a board that is heavy on firefighting experience but light on true management skills.

We must remember that this is a $16 million operation. With property values declining, the need to have solid management in place is needed more than ever. I believe the district should have a special election as provided in State Statute Chapter 191. Possibly, there are candidates for commissioner who have business experience and are interested in serving the residents of Spring Hill. If the current board are candidates in this special election they will know, if they win, that the voters have confidence in their abilities to manage an independent district.

The argument against a special election is purely economic, but participatory democracy should not be denied by a price tag. With the start-up costs the new district will incur, this can be considered as seeking the confidence of the people in what is happening. Or is the current board fearful of standing before the voters and asking for their endorsement?

Harry Chamberlain

Spring Hill

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