A.G. Gancarski
Should Jacksonville hire 100 more police officers? Should Jacksonville remove its Confederate monuments? Should legislators get three terms instead of two?
These are the hot-button questions that are expected to drive public comment Tuesday night, setting the stage for acrimony and theater, for low invective and high drama not seen since the city passed the Human Rights Ordinance expansion.
Plans are being made to potentially extend the meeting into a second day — if the hard stop of midnight comes without a vote on a bill that could put a referendum on the Aug. 2018 ballot to allow voters to change the current two-term limit to three, deliberations will resume Wednesday morning.
Council President Anna Brosche cited an “anticipation of significant public comment” during the meeting on the aforementioned issues, bringing special attention to the issue of Confederate monuments, which she heated up last week by calling for their removal before backing down from the position.
Brosche notes “the overall discussion on the latter topic has expanded due to the nature of the climate and activities taking place throughout the United States pertaining to Confederate Monuments and Statues.”
To facilitate discussion, there will be color-coded comment cards, and council members are urged to refrain from asking questions to speakers. As well, overflow seating will be in the Lynwood Roberts Room in City Hall, and the auditorium at the Jacksonville Public Library’s main location.
The only action item of the aforementioned: the vote to authorize a referendum that would allow voters to extend term-limits from two to three consecutive for elected officials — including incumbent Council members.
If no vote is held on this item — the last on the agenda — by midnight, discussion will resume Wednesday morning … conflicting with the Finance Committee taking up Mayor Lenny Curry‘s $131M capital improvement plan.
