Duval County voters in May could impact two of the mayor’s top level positions, one of the key changes coming from a task force that reviewed consolidated government.
A bill will soon be introduced to City Council that would require Jacksonville mayors to hire a chief administrative officer and chief financial officer and define the roles and requirements of the positions.
The jobs were removed from the City Charter more than 40 years ago, though many mayors filled those positions.
The task force made the decision as a compromise, of sorts, said council member Lori Boyer. Strong consideration was given to implementing some form of a city manager position, but instead the group stuck with the strong-mayor form of government.
“Conceptually, the mayor can be the leader and set policy goals and really provide leadership and direction,” Boyer said.
But, she said, the chief administrative officer should have oversight over every city department and truly be able to run the city’s day-to-day operations. That means all department heads would report to the chief administrative officer, including the chief financial officer. Currently, several senior-level appointments report directly to the mayor.
The task force concluded the chief administrative officer has functioned as a professional manager in some, but not all, administrations and their duties and responsibilities varied. The bill would keep that constant and not subject to reorganizations.
At one point, both positions were mandated by the city charter. That was until the language was removed in 1971.
Putting it back means putting it on the ballot, which Boyer said the goal is for May, should it pass council. In addition to defining the roles, the move also would outline required backgrounds for each appointee.
The hope, Boyer said, is the higher-level positions might be able to transcend administrations and keep some of the institutional knowledge intact for more government efficiency. Another task force recommendation in the same vein was to extend council term limits from two to three terms. Boyer said because it wasn’t proposed in time to impact spring elections, the bill can wait.
For chief administrative officer, the requirements would mean having a bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration or a similar field and seven years of municipal government experience.
The chief financial officer will be required to have a bachelor’s in finance, accounting or similar field and have seven years’ experience in government finance.
“We’re trying to provide greater clarity,” Boyer said. “We’re getting it back to the way it used to be.”
Those aren’t the only changes being proposed from the task force.
Six additional changes that won’t require voter approval were filed as bills this week and introduced to council Tuesday.
The proposals:
• Requiring the mayor provide a mayor-elect with a breakdown of the city’s current responsibilities for services and which staff provides them. Boyer said this stems from the city’s relationship with the Beaches and Baldwin and knowing what the city should and can’t do to impact them.
• Having the Environmental Protection Board put out an annual report on water quality. It’s done by other organizations, Boyer said, but often is hard to find and understand. The board essentially would make it easier for neighborhood associations and residents to figure out the status and impacts of water in their area.
• The Jacksonville Waterways Commission would have a couple of new ex-officio members, one from the Planning Commission and the other from the environmental board.
• The Duval County Health Department director would be asked to take part in the council’s Public Health & Safety Committee.
• Each quarter, the mayor would be required to sign off on the city’s employee cap for individual departments. During the 2013-14 budget review, council members learned several departments had hired above their outlined levels. Boyer said this bill adds a layer of compliance.
• The Risk Management Department will annually provide council with a list of city-owned properties. Dating back more than a year, council has sought such a list to determine what assets the city owns. Mayor Alvin Brown’s administration put out to bid to find out what the city owned and the buildings highest and best use. But that request didn’t bring acceptable responses. Boyer said the risk management department had a list it used for insurance purposes. The insurance list shows a more detailed state of the buildings and property, above what the property appraiser’s office details.
“Just give us a list,” she said. “We just want to know what we have.”
Boyer said in all, about a dozen task force-related bills will make their way to council.
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