STATEMENT ON TWO PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE SARASOTA COUNTY CHARTER REGARDING CERTAIN REZONINGS AND THE URBAN SERVICE BOUNDARY The Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of Sarasota County has reviewed the proposed amendments to the Sarasota County Charter suggested by a local citizens’ group, Citizens for Sensible Growth in Sarasota County, Inc. Based upon existing policies of the LWVSC, the League cannot recommend support of these proposed changes to the Charter. Existing League policies support principles of representative government and statewide growth management laws. These proposed changes to the Sarasota County Charter undermine such principles. By requiring a public referendum on comprehensive plan changes to the urban service boundary, one of the proposed charter amendments imposes a requirement that supersedes the extensive reviews of, and public participation in, comprehensive plan changes at both the local and state levels. This proposal would single out a specific category of comprehensive plan changes for a public referendum and would potentially negate the votes of elected officials at both the local and state levels. Further, it is unclear as to how this proposal would affect the current adjudicatory process for comprehensive plan amendments. The result would be to replace the thoughtful and studied approach to comprehensive plan changes currently required by state law with the advertising and popular slogan approaches of public referenda. One of the proposed charter changes requires extraordinary votes on specific rezoning requests that could hinder redevelopment within the urban service area and could adversely affect affordable housing initiatives and other important changes in land use. Placing such a detailed procedural requirement in the Sarasota County Charter is inconsistent with the role of a charter to outline the basic structure and functions of government and would restrain the ability of elected representatives to modify the requirement in the face of changed circumstances or currently unknown consequences. The two proposed charter amendments apply only to property in the unincorporated areas of Sarasota County, yet they would be subject to approval of voters in both the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county. If these changes are approved in such a countywide referendum, there could be unanticipated or unintended consequences for the unincorporated areas of the County by creating incentives for further municipal annexations and expansion of urban development into the unincorporated areas. The League of Women Voters of Sarasota County supports continued study and policy development to address important matters of growth and urban development through the processes outlined in state law in the context of representative democracy. Pat Price President