League of Women Voters: Say yes to Orange charter changes
Every four years, a committee of citizens reviews Orange County’s Charter, our local governing document. With input from the community, the committee crafts amendments to the Charter which are then put to voters for approval.
This fall, voters have three important charter amendments to consider. The League of Women Voters of Orange County, having studied the issues and deliberated their merits, strongly endorses and recommends voting “yes” to all three Orange County charter amendments.
Charter amendment question 1 provides citizens, for the first time, with the legal right to clean water. This initiative gives the citizens of Orange County the legal right to protect our fresh water — our springs, rivers and lakes — from pollution. This legal protection is a deterrent to polluters as it is much less expensive to keep water clean than it is to clean it up after the damage is done. Not only do county residents care deeply for our natural water resources, but many tourist-related businesses thrive when clean fresh water is abundant.
Question 2 protects Split Oak Forest from development by restricting the Board of County Commissioners from changing the current covenants that protect this conservation land. In 1994, Orange and Osceola counties promised to protect Split Oak Forest “in perpetuity.” Now, to accommodate developers in Osceola County, the Orange County Board of Commissioners is pursuing changes that would allow Central Florida Expressway Authority to build a toll road through the forest. “In perpetuity” means forever and a promise is a promise.
The League of Women Voters has long worked to ensure that the constitutional protections granted to Split Oak Forest are enforced.
Question 3 makes a minor adjustment to a charter amendment passed in 2016 which complicated the procedure for gathering petition signatures for a citizen-led initiative. As it stands now, petition gathering is halted while government agencies do mandatory reviews, but the 180-day clock allowed for gathering signatures keeps on ticking. This makes it practically impossible for a citizen-led initiative to make it to the ballot. The proposed change “stops the clock” during these agency reviews, improving the situation. The League of Women Voters of Orange County has always strongly supported the citizens’ right to be involved in their local government and therefore urges a “yes” vote on question 3.
“Start from the bottom and work up” may seem like a contrarian’s task but, this year you’ll find these charter-amendment questions on the back and at the bottom of your ballot in November. So to make sure you vote for these important amendments, start from the bottom and work up!