A.G. Gancarski
On Wednesday, the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee discussed a council auditor report, which contended the Friends of Hemming Park was “insolvent” as recently as May.
Concomitant to that discussion: a deferred $150,000 allocation bill to cede new money to Hemming Park. And Mayor Lenny Curry seeking in his new budget to cut the appropriation to $250,000 a year for FOHP, paid monthly.
A previous committee, NCIS, had pilloried the park management, and Finance was more muted, but no more positive.
“They’re going through $65,000 to $75,000 a month … $150,000 would give you two months of operating,” Council Auditor Kirk Sherman said of the “liquidity cash flow problem.”
As well, $75,000 of the $150,000 sought in a bill currently would be earmarked to repay a grant, which would cut down the efficacy of the operating grants.
Committee members weighed in after Sherman’s report was presented.
Councilman Matt Schellenberg had question about a line item to Downtown Vision, with $14,606 a month for two of its “ambassadors.”
“You have a manager overseeing two people at DVI, and they’re charging you,” Schellenberg said, struggling to get clarity.
A big chunk of that: an $8,600 “management fee.”
Councilman Greg Anderson noted a subcommittee was to be convened, “probably early next week, to really begin to have a discussion about sustainability.”
“If you just figure $65,000 a month, the administration is proposing $20,000 a month, so it’s a big difference there.”
Council President Lori Boyer reminded committee members the bill was marked deferred.
“The budget proposes $22,000 a month. The request for $150,000 would be $75,000 a month. There’s a big discrepancy there,” Boyer said.
The bill for $150,000 of allocations was discussed, despite deferral.
Bill Prescott of the FOHP noted the “burn rate” is way down, with expenses cut to $37,000 a month, which can take the outfit to the “middle of August.”
When asked about bonuses and salary increases, Prescott noted “we were meeting all of the criteria in the management agreement.”
Schellenberg noted “every three months, you’re basically broke, until the city money comes in,” according to the audit.
Schellenberg objected to purchases like an IKEA trip and an Apple TV as “extravagance” without “any care for the taxpayer’s money.”
“You went extravagant. Instead of going blue collar, you went white collar,” Schellenberg said.
Prescott noted that the FOHP needs to separate commingled accounts. However, Schellenberg keyed in on “unnecessary expenses … both in contract services and salaries that were unnecessary.”
Councilman Bill Gulliford noted that “some of the blame probably rests with the council” for the operational inefficiencies.
That said, Gulliford had an issue with grant money used for operations.
And also an issue with “conduct in the park.”
“There’s a group of people who come and congregate in the park regularly and their conduct is bad,” Gulliford said, noting “public urination” and other issues “in broad daylight.”
“Frankly, I don’t know if the sheriff’s office has been real good” on park issues, noting those who are supposed to be patrolling are just “sitting around b.s.ing.”
Greg Anderson said part of the issue was that “we clearly did not define success.”
“From a financial standpoint and a macro standpoint, there seems to be a gap. I hope that as part of this committee process, we can more clearly define success.”
CFO Mike Weinstein had his say.
The $250,000, Weinstein said, is intended to cover six months of operations, while FOHP figures out its model.
Meanwhile, the administration is negotiating with Community First for $250,000 for a stage … not for operations.
