A.G. Gancarski
When Jacksonville City Council President Lori Boyer took the helm this summer, she sought to expand the council’s role as a policymaking body.
Primary to that charge were “special committees,” set to immediately follow the regular committee meetings every two weeks.
Though some council members have voiced concerns that the special committees present a time burden, committee chairs Thursday all agreed the special committees have been valuable in terms of moving policy forward, even though tangible legislative output from those committees thus far has been scant.
Public Health and Safety Chair Sam Newby described the special committees as “interesting and engaging,” noting that the special committee helped to improve at least one recent bill.
Neighborhoods, Community Investment and Services Committee Chairman Scott Wilson likewise said the special committees are “useful” with a “lot of good topics.”
Land Use and Zoning Chair Danny Becton said his panel would “dive into the meat of everything” in the special committee setting after the first of the year.
Zoning can be difficult to learn, and “we need all members to understand all facets of zoning,” Becton said.
Rules Chair Garrett Dennis noted “great work” is coming out of the special committees, which allow council panels to “go deeper than we did last year.”
The special committees thus far have typically addressed one topic per meeting; Council President Boyer urged a deeper inquiry, saying chairs should feel free to spend multiple special committees on the same topic.
