A.G. Gancarski
The Tuesday afternoon meeting of the Jacksonville City Council’s Rules Committee didn’t exactly promise fireworks, but with the Hemming Park emergency authorization on the table, it was worth checking out.
After a series of unanimous appointments, the Little Van Wert Avenue river access bill withdrawal, and a deferment of the Charlotte’s Web moratorium, the first bill of interest was the amendment to the Friends of Hemming Park contract. Rules Chairman Matt Schellenberg has been the principal voice of opposition to this measure, being the sole no vote on the measure in Finance on Monday.
The Hemming Park organization has been a subject of increased scrutiny of late. A Tuesday story from The Daily Record said that Executive Director Vince Cavin floated the group $7,000 to meet payroll when the COJ withheld payment. Phrases like “I see a train wreck coming” are being said even by new council members regarding the group’s long-term viability.
Schellenberg began the discussion by proclaiming himself “agnostic,” before focusing on the bill language in the original contract, which restricted the Hemming Park project to “donations” as defined by the Office of General Counsel.
A representative from the FOHP, Bill Prescott, countered that concessions in Hemming Park also qualify as donations.
(Then, the proceedings were paused to confirm Tom Hackney, the JSO’s public face during the Lonzie Barton case, as chief of the Detective Division. Hackney referred to the previous day’s news conference about the case as an attempt to “stir things up,” and described himself as agitated by the suspect’s “lies.”)
After Hackney’s confirmation, discussion returned to the Hemming Park contract, with Schellenberg contending that they had a material disagreement on what the term donations were.
Then there was a discussion of pay raises in the Friends of Hemming Park organization. Prescott asserted that people were hired at “below market rates” and it was essential to “keep the team together going forward … to the extent it’s performing.”
Schellenberg pointed out that whatever “difference” was made, the city has given them $600,000 to do so.
A draft version of the contract had a more holistic definition of revenue; the final version was the current restrictive one.
Councilman Tommy Hazouri contended, contra Schellenberg, that “we’re too close” not to push through. “We’re at the stage now where I feel very comfortable … that we’re on the right course” and “creating something special” in the long-beleaguered park. Hazouri continued to talk about park cleanup and public safety, and how the discussion “hasn’t changed much” over the years.
Councilman Jim Love asked about fundraising. About $106,000 from private donors, coupled with other donations, made support of the contract revision a “no-brainer” for him.
Then, Councilman Garrett Dennis had questions about attendance figures for Art Walks and other events. They’re derived from “estimates” from Downtown Vision, Cavin said.
Dennis: “So these numbers aren’t really accurate?”
It was confirmed, again, that those are estimates.
Schellenberg had further questions about the reliability of their projected budget numbers for salary.
“We’re voting it out here,” Schellenberg said, but that the FOHP should expect more scrutiny on the numbers on Tuesday. The councilman was especially curious as to how the group with function without a further infusion of city money.
“Assuming I agree with what you’ve done here, you’re still $20K short,” Schellenberg said.
The bill was approved 6-1, with the chairman as the sole No vote.
