A.G. Gancarski
The normally below-the-fold JEA board got headline status over the weekend when the Florida Times-Union posted an article explaining, in great detail, the board’s practice of scripting comments for board members related to a raise and a contract extension for JEA CEO Paul McElroy.
This irked senior members of the Lenny Curry administration and set the stage for a more interesting than usual JEA Special Committee meeting, which had two of those irked administration members (Sam Mousa and Mike Weinstein) in attendance, in addition to McElroy.
The meeting began with a Mousa presentation on subjects far removed from the media controversy, including leachate disposal, before moving into a discussion of salaries and compensation for JEA employees, which likewise was at a safe remove from the topic d’jour.
Committee Chair Bill Gulliford noted the discrepancy between a lack of salary raises for city employees and generous raises for JEA employees, asserting that we “needed a better understanding” to “frame some kind of conversation” on why and how it happens, and what the future holds.
Councilwoman Lori Boyer and Councilman Matt Schellenberg pressed for answers about projected savings and the reliability of budgets.
Cost control was a big talker. Boyer wanted to know if there was “board debate” on these metrics; McElroy responded that “there was not considerable debate” on these issues, which could simply mean that no one got around to writing a script for it.
Boyer questioned the failure to metricize relative to industry peers, which McElroy termed as a “good question,” before going on to say that JEA is more cost effective than all but one competing utility: Florida Power and Light.
Schellenberg observed that JEA “should be comparing yourself to yourself every year to get better” was a more reliable gauge of improvement.
Council President Greg Anderson linked incentives to workforce stability, and asked McElroy if it was helping in that regard. The program, pointed out McElroy, has been in place since 1990 with limited exceptions.
“Is the tool helpful?,” asked Anderson.
McElroy referred to it as a “deterrent” against getting people to leave, effective in the short term.
Gulliford then pivoted the conversation to “declining gross revenues,” which McElroy pivoted to “declining sales.”
That said, “best utility practices and process improvement” have helped to “stabilize” the net revenue number, asserts McElroy, who says that it’s a team effort of the 2,000 JEA employees.
Boyer took issue with “electric baseline” costs, saying that the board sets the criteria, with which she has a problem.
Gulliford echoed this concern.
Schellenberg then brought up the T-U article mentioned above, asking McElroy for comment.
Gulliford blocked the question, asserting that “this isn’t the forum for that,” and that the issue “may not necessarily be germane to the agreement.”
Lori Boyer pushed back, saying that the Board of Directors is one of two primary interfaces with JEA, and that the Board is supposed to be using “independent judgement.”
Gulliford then proposed the board would be the topic at the next meeting, hoping for a “better overview of how the board is viewed,” before attempting to bring the meeting to a close, citing it being a “hot room.”
The person for whom the room might be the hottest when this group meets again: Paul McElroy.
Speaking of the JEA CEO, he kept his answers bland when asked for comment on the article from reporters, saying that he was “always excited about the opportunity to engage the Mayor’s Office,” that the General Counsel’s office had reviewed the matter, and that “if you look at all boards and commissions,” guidance may be provided to help facilitate meetings, in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order and the objectives of board members.
Mousa, when asked for response to McElroy’s position, conceded that it’s “not unusual for board members to ask for guidance,” yet it is “unusual that exact language would be scripted and read verbatim.”
Citing a good relationship with McElroy that dates back to the early days of the Transition period, Mousa contended that McElroy “shouldn’t take the [reported] comments as an indication that we don’t want to work with him,” and that the mayor’s office looks forward to continuing the established positive relationship.
However, the “scripted agendas,” Mousa said, are problematic.
“We work every day to gain the trust and confidence of taxpayers,” Mousa added. “Scripted agendas are not very trustworthy.”
Mousa went on to assert that taxpayers don’t see a meaningful difference between JEA and the city.
“We’re all the city,” Mousa said, and “this may violate some of the trust between city employees and taxpayers.”
