A.G. Gancarski
A controversial bill (2016-489) moving $70,000 from council contingency for special events for each of the fourteen district council members got hung up in committees last week.
Monday, bill sponsor Reggie Brown held a public notice meeting with council colleagues. And after that meeting, there may be a conceptual way forward.
Brown, who represents Northwest Jacksonville, noted that he’s hosted myriad community events “disseminating information” about “credit restoration” and other topics germane to his district.
However, he heard of “ethics concerns,” and even though “no one ever questioned the legitimacy of the events,” he recognized that he was “out of compliance.”
Brown’s worry: having to “convene every time someone wants to host an event.”
The lack of understanding on the concept illustrates gaps in the council itself; in committees, council members had raised the possibility that these meetings could blur the lines with political meetings.
And the discussion, in turn, illustrated gaps within the process itself … such as a potential “ethics challenge” if a council member were to get to use a community center for free for events.
Brown’s events have become increasingly popular over the years; he had “maybe 100 people” at his first, but the crowds “built up over the years.”
Now? His events can exceed 500 people.
And that creates resource needs, especially for an event at a place like the Legends Center, where inside there may be parents attempting to get information on services that can benefit them, while outside the kids may be playing in bounce houses.
Over 500 people, and two officers from the fire and rescue department, along with two to five police officers are mandated.
A potential solution was suggested by Council VP John Crescimbeni: to “skip the legislative process” and let the council president “sign off on” these expenses.
The mechanism: a trust fund, similar to what the mayor’s office has, with the council president signing off like these are travel expenses.
Another point of frustration for Brown: being “handcuffed” by the 90 days typically allocated for special events, time that permits a process that allows city departments to handle their discrete functions.
“I don’t want this to be a cumbersome process,” Brown said, noting that the sheriff’s office would “prefer to have 500 people in a park on Saturday than in the street.”
Eventually, it seemed there was concord for the trust fund option.
Look for a substitute version of this bill to emerge, and for a less problem-plagued passage through committees when it does.
