TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) \u2014 Leon County to consider consolidation with City by placing a non-binding initiative on ballot for midterms. <\/p>\n
The decision comes after a motion passed at a recent County Commission meeting in early December. Two out of five County Commissioners voted against this motion.Watch the video to see how it will affect your ballot.<\/p>\n
Leon County to consider consolidation with City with non-binding initiative on ballot for midterms<\/p>\n
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:<\/p>\n
Two government agencies just a short distance apart from each other could be consolidating. While any merging might be a while away, it’s a conversation that the Leon County Commission is furthering. <\/p>\n
That’s after a motion passed at a recent County Commission meeting that will add a straw poll to the ballot next year, to see how voters feel about consolidation. <\/p>\n
“So you really don’t want to be trying to take your entire local government services and jam two organizations together that currently have issues you need to resolve,” said Commissioner David O’Keefe, was one of two dissenting Commissioners. O’Keefe said he’d rather focus on resolving issues between the City and County like fire services. <\/p>\n
O’Keefe also said initiatives to consider consolidation of City and County have failed 4 times in Leon County, the most recent one in 1992. <\/p>\n
“I think the better effort is to focus on resolving the handful of issues that we have now without a multi-year merger takeover process,” said O’Keefe. <\/p>\n
O’Keefe said he’s like these to include affordable housing and affordable childcare, and believes focusing efforts on consolidation would be a distraction. <\/p>\n
Commissioner Rick Minor voted in favor of the motion.<\/p>\n
“I voted to put it on the ballot because I’ve always had the opinion that we work for the people who live in Leon County, and we need to listen to what they want to tell us,” said Minor. “So people will have the ability to tell us what they want in November.”<\/p>\n
Minor said while he wants to hear the public’s feedback, he still has many questions about consolidation. <\/p>\n
“How many commissioners would you have in a consolidated government? Would it be seven? Would it be 12? Jacksonville has 19,” said Minor. <\/p>\n
Per Board direction, County staff will now bring back options to ask voters if they support consolidation<\/p>\n
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