Hometown Democracy

The proposed Hometown Democracy Amendment that Florida voters may see on next November's  election has been written about quite often here at MCS.  But some readers may not have had the opportunity to view the actual text.  Here it is, copied and pasted from another blog, in case you missed it there. 

FULL TEXT OF PROPOSED AMENDMENT: BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA THAT:  

Article II, Section 7. Natural resources and scenic beauty of the Florida Constitution is amended to add the following subsection: Public participation in local government comprehensive land use planning benefits the conservation and protection of Florida’s natural resources and scenic beauty, and the long-term quality of life of Floridians. Therefore, before a local government may adopt a new comprehensive land use plan, or amend a comprehensive land use plan, such proposed plan or plan amendment shall be subject to vote of the electors of the local government by referendum, following preparation by the local planning agency, consideration by the governing body as provided by general law, and notice thereof in a local newspaper of general circulation. Notice and referendum will be as provided by general law. This amendment shall become effective immediately upon approval by the electors of Florida. For purposes of this subsection:  1. “Local government” means a county or municipality. 2. “Local government comprehensive land use plan” means a plan to guide and control future land development in an area under the jurisdiction of a local government. 3. “Local planning agency” means the agency of a local government that is responsible for the preparation of a comprehensive land use plan and plan amendments after public notice and hearings and for making recommendations to the governing body of the local government regarding the adoption or amendment of a comprehensive land use plan. 4. “Governing body” means the board of county commissioners of a county, the commission or council of a municipality, or the chief elected governing body of a county or municipality, however designated. Serial Number 05-18      Date Approved June 21, 2005

Let's put aside the personalities and specific political tactics by opponents of the amendment and whether those tactics will result in the user burning in hell for eternity.  Let's just ask ourselves what will happen if the Hometown Democracy Amendment becomes law.  What will it mean for Clay County?

County government's plan for growth is dictated by a Comprehensive Plan.  It's a map that shows which areas are planned for future homes, what must remain agricultural, or if Wal-Mart can buy your next door neighbor's home, level it and build a new superstore.  Like all of government, though, the Comprehensive Plan can be changed and the Hometown Democracy Amendment will change the way the Comp Plan changed.

For example, a developer acquires a thousand or so acres of what is designated in the county's Comp Plan for agriculture.  Not many developers want to drive tractors, so obviously he or she would rather build a subdivision with 4,000 new homes.  That would require a change in the Comprehensive Plan.

Currently, changing the Comp Plan is a typical multi-layered bureaucratic procedure involving local and state agencies, public hearings, reams of paper, and enough legal minutiae to make sure some lawyer's 401(k) healthy.  With passage next month of the Hometown Democracy Amendment, all of that government BS will remain.

Now, before a change to the Comprehensive Plan goes to the state for approval, it must be approved by the Board of County Commissioners.  If Hometown Democracy is adopted, there will be another requirement developers and others requesting a Comp Plan change must meet before the plan goes to Tallahassee for its review.

The new requirement: Convince the majority of Clay County voters to approve the change.  Put all Comprehensive Plan changes to a vote of the people.  Each request for change will become its own question of Hometown Democracy.

If passed, the Hometown Democracy Amendment will probably increase the workload and cost of local government, which is usually not a good thing.  It will also likely politicize Clay County's growth management plans on a case-by-case basis, and Lord knows there's already politics dominating the local growth issue.

Here's the way I see it.  I'm willing to bear the extra cost of local government in an effort to better manage growth.

We taxpayers are now expected to bear an unfair burden of the cost for poorly-planned or ill-timed growth, and the money we save by slowing down that down will more than offset the cost of implementing the amendment.

Plus, under the current system of managing Clay County's growth, all of the political influence of the wealthy growth industry is concentrated on convincing five County Commissioners, possibly as few as three, to approve a Comprehensive Plan change.  That's a lot power for a simple County Commissioner to overcome.

But if you spread that out the burden of resisting all that political power and influence to all of Clay County's voters, it will be a lot easier to say no to plans that make a few people wealthy while regular folks are asked to pay in their tax dollars, decaying infrastructure and declining schools.

There is a reason the growth industry is opposing the proposed Hometown Democracy Amendment, and it's the same reason they keep building faster than Clay County should.

Money.  It's always the bottom line.

In this case, it's cheaper (also easier with more reliably successful results) to convince the members of the County Commission to approve a change to the Comprehensive Plan than it will be to convince half of Clay County's 114,000 voters.

Want to manage growth in Clay County?  The Hometown Democracy Amendment will be a major tool in that effort.  It's something I think Florida, and especially Clay County, need and that's why I will be voting in favor of it.

 Michael S. Mann