1. A charter government is nothing more than a government adopting a document which spells out the the rights of its citizens and the powers, duties and structure of its government. The difference between a county with charter government and one without is that those areas within the county that lack a charter are governed by the State. I would argue that the residents of the county are better able to govern themselves rather than the State of Florida.
2. As for recall provisions, I believe you’ll find that FL 100.361 spells out how our government can recall a member of our city or charter government in the City of Pensacola or Century. However, my understanding is that County voters can’t recall county commissioners from office or approve most county proposals. How do you think Marie Young originally was APPOINTED to the commission? The State of Florida has jurisdiction over that matter whereas a government with a charter can control that matter. I think most people would prefer a charter if they understood what it really meant as opposed to having someone who doesn’t understand your area govern from 200 miles away. Charters can include a recall provision.
3. I don’t know where you came up with metro-gov, but everything I have READ thus far in the matter of this proposal is that the government will be called Pensacola-Escambia, if approved, and it is just as possible to change it back to it’s original form as it is to consolidate.
4. Bill, ECUA WILL go under the new consolidated government? Really? Where did you read that? I think that is being proposed, but if people feel strongly about that not happening then it won’t happen. As for taxes, franchise fees and assessments, you’re insinuating that those haven’t been a problem before? Frankly, and you and I know this for fact, that if our government decides it’s going to assess new taxes, fees or assessments, it’s going to do it regardless of the entity it is assigned to unless enough people speak out against it. By all means, keep it seperate from the government, but does everyone feel insulated from tax increases or new assessments? No.

Most of these arguments all boil down to a zero-sum game. Your going to have just as many advantages as you will disadvantages. Almost all of the disadvantages you can think of are either present or possible under our current form of government. Nearly all of the advantages are possible under our current form of government. The key difference is that our combined governments have demonstrated that they can’t work together and the few times they’ve tried in the recent past, the efforts were soon forgotten and ultimately they worked against each other to our detriment.

No taxes up here?? We wish! And I’ll have to tell the mortgage company to stop holding it in escrow then, lol. We may not pay the highest amounts in the whole county, but if you factored in the sum vs. the amount of services we receive in the north end, I’d bet that the scales would be tipping towards the giving side for North Escambia.

There are some lovely homes up here and even better people. I’d tell you to come up and see for yourself, but since you stated elsewhere that being in Century might lead one to a life of crime, I’d recommend staying in the city for all of our sakes!
(You can’t be the same “Pensacola” from the PNJ forum?? It doesn’t sound like the same tone??)

And Walnut Hill Resident, some of us North Cantonment/South Molino people consider ourselves country-like, good folk, and North Enders, too! Please don’t let them incorporate us!!! (big grin) Besides that, I agreed with what you said. I have lived all over, too, but I love it up here.

And, Go NorthEscambia.com !