A.G. Gancarski
As the new Jacksonville City Council settles in and bills wend their way through committees, Jacksonville City Council meetings haven’t truly heated up as they will during September’s budget deliberations. However, Jacksonville’s City Council is always a hotbed of entertainment and public interest, and Tuesday evening’s Council conclave was no exception.
The Hemming Park funding piece, as Council President Greg Anderson mentioned, would be the highlight of the agenda. The Emergency legislation (2015-556) would have, he said, public speakers and a vote.
Of course, that wasn’t the only highlight.
First, the Hemming Park measure, which would broaden the definition of acceptable revenue. Despite some objection in public hearing, the bill seemed destined to sail through. Then, Councilman John Crescimbeni voiced objections, based in a historic review of the Friends of Hemming Park’s revenue goals, before considering the salient question of whether park revenue factored in. His support led Matt Schellenberg to quip “It’s lonely up here now,” before reiterating his qualms over the group’s budget process and payroll allocations. He said that Hemming Park on Saturdays is “a little bit better,” but that doesn’t justify the financial investment. Bill Gulliford, the bill sponsor, brought up the question of “intent,” and reminding council of the eyesore Hemming was before the program began, saying Hemming Park is the city’s front door.
Gulliford issued a caution regarding their operating statement, saying that “we’re nearing the end of the road” and we will be “faced with decisions in the near future.” Councilmen Jim Love and Aaron Bowman, meanwhile, made the business case for Hemming funding; Bowman, as he has before, expressed “concerns for the future” and wants contract review and refinement, because “we will not be able to sustain the status quo.”
Of course, the discussion would not be complete without a long-term review of Hemming Park’s history, provided by Tommy Hazouri. The former mayor urged that “we let the beat go on for now” and said Hemming was essential for downtown’s revitalization.
The discussion went on and on, to quote Erykah Badu. Schellenberg said that as long as you have homeless shelters nearby, Hemming Park will always have issues.
The measure passed 18-1.
Then 2014-769, a resolution to determine the legal validity of the Police and Fire Pension Fund voluntary retirement fund, originally introduced as a “reminder” (per Crescimbeni) to the administration to look into the matter, was pulled from the Consent Agenda to be discussed. Crescimbeni contended that the Senior Staff Retirement fund is larded with $2 million of taxpayer money that may not be authorized.
The idea was to withdraw the bill; Crescimbeni wanted it live. Bill sponsor Schellenberg wanted it re-referred back to Rules, which would set up a lively discussion for next week.
Gulliford, meanwhile, cautioned against re-referral, as that would adversely affect people with justifiable reliance on said fund. He pushed for withdrawal and a negotiation of “reasonable compromise.”
Lori Boyer, meanwhile, supported the re-referral. The first tough action for the new council, with smart veterans on both sides of the issue, loomed.
This caused Gulliford, reluctantly, to support the re-referral. The action was unanimous, and Rules will be lively next week.
As former Chief of Staff Chris Hand tweeted, though: “Why is [Crescimbeni] revisiting an agreement that the last Council passed 14-4 and the PFPF Board passed 4-1?”
Then 2015-172, authorizing a new interchange at I-10/Hammond Boulevard transfer and maintenance agreement with FDOT, passed unanimously.
And 2015-514 OKs $274,000 of state funding for at-risk families; unanimous approval.
Then 2015-374, a bill that was introduced in May to allow a certificate of need for new Hrustic Brothers recycling facility in the Greenland Park area, met with objection from people in the neighborhood because environmental problems. The process, said Amir Hrustic, has taken almost a year. He mentioned that there had been a detailed presentation on how the business and the city would protect the neighborhood/environment. He offered tours of the property; three people have taken him up on it. They have dust suppression measures in place, and noise suppression measures, and so on. CM Danny Becton, the district councilman, advocated for the business owners. With 30 conditions that the company must meet, city oversight was assured, and the facility is necessary to meet the COJ recycling goals. The bill, after considerable discussion, passed 18-0.
Along comes 2015-322, a bill dealing with the Affordable Housing Assistance Local Housing Assistance program, occasioned surprisingly spirited discussion. The money has been accepted for decades. Councilwoman Katrina Brown motioned to re-refer the bill to committee so the 11 new Council members could study it. Crescimbeni wanted the bill moved to the NICE Committee. Boyer, meanwhile, said the measure was discussed during orientation of new Council members in early June.
The bill was re-referred, said the president, to “the committees of origin and NICE.”
Talk in the hallway among insiders outside Council Chambers: consternation that Brown pushed for re-referral. She was supposed to have been on board.
Then 2015-360, the much-discussed bill to close a river access point in Avondale on Little Van Wert Avenue, which had been recommended for withdrawal by various committees, was withdrawn 18-0, with an abstention via recusal by Council President Greg Anderson.
Chris Hand and Councilmen Aaron Bowman and Bill Gulliford joined forces for a commemoration of Ed Lange, a former Fletcher coach and teacher who passed recently. Hand, said Gulliford, was instrumental in ensuring that Lange was honored.
Gulliford, always the Googler, read Lange’s RateMyTeacher.com reviews, which were utterly sincere and relatable to those of us shown the way by great teachers in our past. Hand, meanwhile, was unfailingly gracious in recognizing everyone instrumental in helping the resolution go through, along with Lange’s family for sharing him with the community.
“Every young person should be so lucky to have a person like Lange as a coach,” said Hand, who spoke of Lange as a “confidant and a friend” whose advice and counsel he could repeat, even three decades later, verbatim.
Every member of the JV basketball team Hand was on was at Lange’s funeral, the former chief of staff said.
