by Kimberly C. Moore and Cindy Glover May 11, 2024 May 11, 2024
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Under current limits, the longest anyone elected to Lakeland’s City Commission can serve is 12 years — three terms as either commissioner or mayor.
A 15-member committee tasked with reviewing the city’s charter thinks that’s too short. Committee members voted unanimously last month to recommend allowing up to 20 years — three terms as a commissioner and two terms as mayor.
City residents would have to approve the change in the November 2025 election for it to take effect.
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The case for longer terms: Former Mayor Howard Wiggs and former Commissioner Don Selvage both advocated for the shift, saying it takes time to learn the nuances of city government and residents benefit from having experienced leaders at the helm. Selvage said currently, commissioners who serve more than one term before becoming mayor can only stay in office for four years, which is not enough to be effective. Wiggs agreed, saying he stepped into the role of mayor feeling like he was “running out of time.”
Why it matters:
The backstory: The city first implemented term limits in the 1990s. Prior to 2019, a person elected as both commissioner and mayor could serve a maximum of four consecutive terms, but if they left office, they could return and the term limit clock would start again. The 2019 amendment set the maximum at three terms throughout a lifetime for anyone elected after 2020 and four terms for those already on the commission. It was approved by 65.4% of voters.
The cost of pensions: Wiggs said one consideration when term limits were implemented was keeping elected officials from becoming eligible for pensions upon reaching 20 years in office. If the limits are lengthened, someone serving the maximum as a commissioner and mayor would be eligible for a pension of half their salary under state law.
City Attorney Palmer Davis said commissioners don’t contribute to the city’s pension plan, so their pensions would have to come from the general fund. However, most commissioners probably wouldn’t serve 20 years. And unlike the city’s top paid employees — four of whom earn more than $200,000 annually — commissioners’ salaries are quite modest. Mayor Bill Mutz earns $48,000 a year. Commissioners earn $32,000.
The next meeting: The Charter Review Committee will meet at 3 p.m. on May 30 in either the City Commission chambers or the Lakeland Electric conference room. The public is welcome to attend.
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Kimberly C. Moore, who grew up in Lakeland, has been a print, broadcast and multimedia journalist for more than 30 years. Before coming to LkldNow in the spring of 2022, she was a reporter for four years with The Ledger, first covering Lakeland City Hall and then Polk County schools. She is the author of “Star Crossed: The Story of Astronaut Lisa Nowak," published by University Press of Florida. Reach her at kimberly@lkldnow.com or 863-272-9250.
Cindy Glover moved to Lakeland in 2021 after spending two decades in South Florida. She was a crime reporter, City Hall reporter and chief political writer for newspapers including the Albuquerque Journal and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. She spent a year as a community engagement coordinator for the City of Lakeland before joining LkldNow. Reach her at cindy@lkldnow.com or 561-212-3429.
