Leon County to Consider 2026 Charter Review Process

Leon County elected officials will receive an overview of the proposed charter review process and consider options and recommendations regarding the establishment of a Citizen Charter Review Committee (CCRC) by November 3, 2025.

The Leon County Charter requires that a Citizen Charter Review Committee (CCRC) be appointed by the Board every eight years at least 12 months before the general election to review the County’s Home Rule Charter and propose any amendments or revisions for placement on the general election ballot. 

Elected officials will consider the following:

-Direct staff to prepare an agenda item for the Board’s September 16, 2025, meeting, for the appointment of a 14-member Citizen Charter Review Committee (two appointments per Commissioner), and consideration of preliminary committee bylaws.

-Convene the Citizen Charter Review Committee on October 23, 2025, for a period of no more than 120 days, to review the Leon County Charter and propose recommended amendments or revisions to the Board of County Commissioners for placement on the 2026 general election ballot.

-Establish the meetings of the Citizen Charter Review Committee to occur biweekly to be broadcast on the County’s Comcast channel 16, the Leon County Florida Channel on Roku, the County’s Facebook page, YouTube channel, X, and the County’s website.

-Utilize County staff to provide support to the Citizen Charter Review Committee.

-Provide Board direction on any specific issues for staff to bring back in an analysis and for the Board to determine if the issues should be addressed by the Citizen Charter Review Committee.

Since the Charter was adopted in 2002, the Board has appointed two CCRCs (2009 and 2017) to review the County’s Home Rule Charter and propose amendments or revisions for placement on the general election ballot.  For the most recent CCRC in 2017 – 2018, the Board appointed a 14-member committee (two appointments per Commissioner) which convened for three months, conducting six meetings and three public hearings, all of which were held in the Commission Chambers and broadcast online and via television. 

During its meetings, the CCRC considered 11 different issues provided by the Board, Constitutional Officers, Committee members and the public.  Through a series of votes and three separate public hearings, the CCRC narrowed the list of issues to two items: A Proposal to Provide a Code of Ethics Requirement in the Leon County Charter and A Proposal to Modify the Hiring/Firing Process for the County Attorney.

On February 27, 2018, the 2017 – 2018 Leon County CCRC Final Report was presented to and approved by the Board.  On April 10, 2018, public hearings were held for both proposed amendments recommended by the CCRC.  The Board voted to place the proposed amendment entitled “Proposal to Provide a Code of Ethics Requirement in the Leon County Charter” on the November 2018 General Election ballot. 

For the other proposed amendment entitled “Proposal to Modify the Hiring/Firing Process for the County Attorney,” an Ordinance was adopted at the April 10, 2018 meeting, to effectuate the hiring/firing process changes sought by the CCRC rather than placing the issue on the ballot.

Pursuant to the Leon County Charter, the next CCRC must be established by November 3, 2025, 12 months before the 2026 general election.