SANFORD - It took Clerk of the Court Maryanne Morse but 20 minutes Wednesday to articulate why Seminole County shouldn’t be messing around with her services pertaining to the Board of County Commissioners finance operations.

The county’s Charter Review Commission voted, 9-5, against shifting Morse’s BCC finance duties to the County Manager’s Office and 9-5 against establishing an office for a county comptroller as in Orange County.

The commissioner’s conclusion was that it would cost as much as a million dollars to establish yet another political office, and that giving the job to the county manager would be a mistake since the county manager must report to the BCC.

"No one can say that Maryanne Morse doesn’t do an efficient job," commission member Fred Streetman said. "The fact is that she does it too efficiently. She ruffles feathers. That’s good government."

Martha Haynie, the Orange County Comptroller spoke Wednesday as did County Chairman Carlton Henley. Henley said he preferred changing the way BCC finance operations were conducted. He avoided criticizing Morse personally but said that there were flaws in the system. Henley said County Commissioner Randy Morris concurred.

Haynie, questioned after the meeting, said that some of the objections that others have made about Morse’s "watchdog" operations are unfounded. She referred to the case of a county commissioner not turning in receipts from a trip and Morse docking his pay. "I’d have done the same thing," Haynie said. "It’s called accountability."

Morse told the commission her job was "to protect the funds and assets for the citizens and tax payers." Her function as Clerk of the Courts and Clerk of the BCC has served the community well.

"The county commission job is to set policy," she said. "My job is to see that everyone is accountable. I once refused to pay $109 for a pen. When something isn’t right, I’m not going to pay for it."

Morse is on e of the county’s constitutional officers up for re-election in 2000. Had the Charter Review Commission voted to split her duties with another office, the referendum to do so would have also been on the November ballot. That will not happen, now.

SANFORD - It took Clerk of the Court Maryanne Morse but 20 minutes Wednesday to articulate why Seminole County shouldn’t be messing around with her services pertaining to the Board of County Commissioners finance operations.

The county’s Charter Review Commission voted, 9-5, against shifting Morse’s BCC finance duties to the County Manager’s Office and 9-5 against establishing an office for a county comptroller as in Orange County.

The commissioner’s conclusion was that it would cost as much as a million dollars to establish yet another political office, and that giving the job to the county manager would be a mistake since the county manager must report to the BCC.

"No one can say that Maryanne Morse doesn’t do an efficient job," commission member Fred Streetman said. "The fact is that she does it too efficiently. She ruffles feathers. That’s good government."

Martha Haynie, the Orange County Comptroller spoke Wednesday as did County Chairman Carlton Henley. Henley said he preferred changing the way BCC finance operations were conducted. He avoided criticizing Morse personally but said that there were flaws in the system. Henley said County Commissioner Randy Morris concurred.

Haynie, questioned after the meeting, said that some of the objections that others have made about Morse’s "watchdog" operations are unfounded. She referred to the case of a county commissioner not turning in receipts from a trip and Morse docking his pay. "I’d have done the same thing," Haynie said. "It’s called accountability."

Morse told the commission her job was "to protect the funds and assets for the citizens and tax payers." Her function as Clerk of the Courts and Clerk of the BCC has served the community well.

"The county commission job is to set policy," she said. "My job is to see that everyone is accountable. I once refused to pay $109 for a pen. When something isn’t right, I’m not going to pay for it."

Morse is on e of the county’s constitutional officers up for re-election in 2000. Had the Charter Review Commission voted to split her duties with another office, the referendum to do so would have also been on the November ballot. That will not happen, now.