It appears Concerned Neighbors of Bradenton Beach has hit another roadblock in its quest to get three citizen’s initiatives on the November municipal ballot.
The grassroots group has until Sept. 8 to finalize the requirements for the initiatives to appear on the ballot.
Member Reed Mapes says the city is holding up the process.
The city commission will hold a special meeting at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, to decide whether to approve a resolution for the initiatives.
In an Aug. 31 email to Bradenton Beach city clerk Terri Sanclemente, assistant Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Scott Farrington wrote that according to state statutes, a resolution or ordinance by the city is required to put the initiatives on the Nov. 7 ballot.
Mayor Bill Shearon, Vice Mayor John Chappie, city attorney Ricinda Perry and some CNOBB members also received Farrington’s Aug. 31 email.
CNOBB promoted three ballot initiatives and collected the required number of petition signatures from more than 100 Bradenton Beach voters to have them added to the Nov. 7 municipal ballot.
CNOBB members are pushing three charter amendments — replace the four-ward representative system with at-large representatives, amend residency requirements for elected officials from 24 months to 12 months and prohibit changes to the city charter by resolution. If approved by electors, a citizen vote to amend the charter would be needed.
The city held a special meeting Aug. 28 to discuss an issue brought up by CNOBB attorney Bob Hendrickson of Harrison & Kirkland P.A. of Bradenton, in an Aug. 22 email to Sanclemente. Hendrickson contends that, according to state statutes, initiatives can be placed on the ballot by ordinance or petition.
And if the city does not comply by the SOE deadline, Hendrickson said he has been directed to pursue the matter in the circuit court.
The commission voted Aug. 28 to include the initiatives on the ballot, but maintained the petitions contain “defects.”
Mapes and Hendrickson met Aug. 30 with Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett to discuss the ballot question.
According to Mapes’ Aug. 30 email, Bennett said the city must provide a resolution and city-approved ballot summaries for each of the resolutions.
Hendrickson prepared and emailed the ballot summaries Aug. 30 to Bennett and the city, including a letter explaining the city was invited to assist with the summaries but declined.
But the deadline is tight and likely cannot be met, Mapes wrote.
“Obviously the city may have to call another meeting to have a resolution, which they can, of course, stall on and will cause us to miss the deadline,” Mapes wrote.
Farrington’s Aug. 31 email said the SOE extended the original Sept. 1 deadline for “a week” to give CNOBB and the city more time.
In response to Farrington’s email, Hendrickson wrote Mapes, “If the city continues to refuse to adopt a resolution, your group will need to decide whether to sue … it should be a pretty easy lawsuit because the only issue will be whether the city is required to adopt an ordinance or resolution and, if so, ordering the city to adopt an ordinance or resolution as a ministerial task.”