Deltona City Hall
Deltona residents will cast ballots in the Tuesday, Nov. 8, election on two referendums that propose changes to the city charter.
The referendums address residency requirements for key city officials: the city manager and the city attorney.
Currently, Deltona’s city charter says both officials — the only two city employees hired (and potentially fired) by the City Commission — must live within Deltona city limits. The refrendums, if approved by a majority of Deltona voters, would allow both the manager and the city attorney to live within 25 miles of Deltona.
Deltona has struggled for years with the question of where its city manager and attorney should live. For example, the City Commission was unable to name John Peters “city manager” because he lives in DeBary. Commissioners hired Peters as “interim” city manager, instead.
Peters has since resigned.
The city’s current city attorney doesn’t live in Deltona, either. The City Commission sidestepped the charter requirement in this case by not having a staff city attorney, but hiring a law firm, instead.
The City of Deltona has hired a temporary city manager to replace Peters, and postponed a search for a permanent city manager until after the Nov. 8 election, when voters will make clear where that manager is required to live.
