Jax Council Finance OKs pension bills, FSCJ downtown housing, term limit expansion

Jax City Councilman Bill Gulliford (Photo: A.G. Gancarski)

The Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee had an action-packed Monday meeting, highlighted by unanimous approval of two pension bills, FSCJ downtown housing, and Maxwell House incentives.

Meanwhile, the Term Limit referendum proved more controversial. And the Safety Officer cure legislation discussion, as ever, was “delicate.”

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2015-422 would allow Police and Fire Pension Fund Board of Trustees employees to participate in the general employees retirement fund, eliminating any other option; the bill was approved by Finance. 2015-683 addresses the same concept, with a Charter amendment codifying it and clearing up a loose end from the June pension agreement.

Representing the Jax PFPF, Bill Scheu noted that progress has been made regarding fulfilling the city’s needs regarding getting more clarity on the Fund’s historic decisions.

Scheu also noted that a decision was made to terminate John Keane‘s consultancy by the end of February, with a reduced role.

Keane, former executive director of the fund, has been a “great help in going through his papers,” said Trustee Scheu.

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Good news for Florida State College at Jacksonville downtown students who want to live downtown:

2016-16, which would move $600,000 from a downtown historic preservation fund to rehab the Lerner Building at 20 West Adams Street to create 60 beds of student housing for FSCJ, was described as a “win/win/win” by FSCJ President Cynthia Bioteau, who added that 1,400 students indicated an interest in Downtown housing in a survey.

This move would leave $5.7 million in the fund.

Aaron Bowman, the Jax Chamber man on the Council, unreservedly endorsed the move, with Councilman Reggie Gaffney piggybacking those plaudits, reminding Bioteau that the building is in his district.

Finance Chairman Bill Gulliford endorsed the move also.

For those wanting more residents downtown, college students provide an elegant solution to a long-standing problem. The goal is to spur continued improvements in downtown vitality.

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Maxwell House expansion project one step closer to city funds, as Finance approves the bill:

Downtown mainstay business, the Maxwell House plant, had an ask for city money for an expansion to the plant that would create 40 new jobs, in operations, sanitation, and other fields, at an average wage of roughly $54,000. This would terminate the 2014 agreement.

A REV Grant of $1 million is under consideration to help with renovation costs; the jobs would qualify for a QTI grant of $200,000, $40,000 of it from the city.

Recruitment of Maxwell House was first brewed up during the Tommy Hazouri administration, when Jacksonville won a war to keep its plant against Hoboken, New Jersey.

Fun fact: the Hoboken plant was replaced by upscale condos as part of the city’s gentrification; meanwhile, the drab red bricks of the Maxwell House plant, along with the towering Duval County Jail, present visual interest on the drive from Main Street to the Sports Complex.

John Crescimbeni pushed for “public tourism” of facilities; pushback came from the Maxwell House rep, who noted that it’s a cramped, older building.

“I think you’re missing an opportunity,” Crescimbeni said.

“I wasn’t old enough to drink coffee back then, but I sniffed a lot,” Gulliford said about growing up with the Maxwell House plant across the river.

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The bill to increase consecutive terms from two to three for councilmembers and constitutional officers came up, but not without Lori Boyer “taking exception to the tone” of a previous committee meeting in which her position was misrepresented.

Boyer discussed the potential “noise” of a crowded general election, and a “sales tax extension,” being potential distractions.

“My concern … is not that voters are not smart enough,” but that the ability to explain the initiative will be “handicapped.”

Citing two Jacksonville Times-Union editorials in opposition, Boyer wanted to know whether Council was all in on making the case.

“If we don’t make the case, it is not going to pass. I don’t want to put it on the ballot doomed for failure,” Boyer said, “with so many other messages being communicated at that time.”

The sales tax referendum, she said, is “priority.”

Spirited debate among the committee followed, with Aaron Bowman saying that he would not support the bill, thinking it not necessary.

The measure could be on the August ballot, precluding message confusion, said Jerry Holland, former Supervisor of Elections.

Holland, the current Property Appraiser, said Jacksonville is almost the only city with term limits for constitutional officers in Florida. He added that the Better Jacksonville Plan, the large sales tax referendum of yesteryear, was on the primary ballot.

Schellenberg made an emphatic case for his bill, saying that “experience” allows a councilmember to expand their skill set.

He also invited people to run against councilmembers if they want his job, saying that when he ran against Jack Webb, he was advised to “wait four years.”

He didn’t and he won anyway.

Reggie Gaffney said the “bill sent the wrong message that we’re self-serving,” by way of joining Bowman in opposition.

Gulliford, meanwhile, revisited his argument that term limits are some sort of panacea, while saying his problem with the bill is including constitutional officers.

“We’re going against the flow,” Gulliford said, about these “administrative” positions, which require experience.

Gulliford cautioned about the impact of “public debate,” bringing up Charleston’s Joe Riley as the counterargument to term limits, and saying that all elections give voters the right to “throw the bums out.”

“The longer I stay up here,” Gulliford (who is already planning retirement in Montana) said, “the more effective I become.”

The bill passed 4-3: Bowman, Gaffney, and Crescimbeni were the No votes.

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The fun continued with 2015-783, the Cure Legislation regarding the fateful budget night move of $330,799 from stormwater to Fire and Rescue for Safety Officers.

The move, heavily lobbied by Fire Union Chief Randy Wyse, was OK’d on a second vote that looked like a complete schmoz to people watching. This suspicious activity led to a lawsuit, a settlement agreement, a ban on councilmembers using their phones during meetings (that no one seems to observe at this point), and this Cure Legislation that has taken longer to work out in committee than it took the United States to topple Saddam Hussein.

There would not be forced demotions with this current bill, and Bowman noted that “it actually saves the city money,” given the Safety Officers providing valuable risk-management services regarding ensuring the safety of firefighters and rescue officers.

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The Public Service Grant Council process revisions, hammered out in recent months, were also approved by Finance.