A.G. Gancarski
Four more years?
That seems to be the gist of a bill introduced by Jacksonville City Councilman Matt Schellenberg, who wants to raise term limits from two to three consecutive four year terms for City Council members.
One of the leit motifs of the just concluded campaign was a worry about the impact of turnover, a worry perhaps compounded by the Firefighter “text-ghazi,” which involved primarily new Council members.
Schellenberg’s bill would change that.
The legislation cites the findings of the Task Force on Consolidated Government, “which found that extending the terms of City Council Members from two four-year terms to three four-year terms would increase the knowledge base of the City Council and would allow the longevity in the legislative branch necessary to achieve long-term growth as a City.”
The bill would permit three consecutive Council terms, up from two. If the resolution passes, the referendum measure would be on the 2016 Presidential Primary ballot.
Public comment will be lively on this one.
