• The VIPs will have gated parking at Jag games. A six-foot fence is being installed outside the West Club entrance to the stadium; to enter, drivers will have to punch in a code.
• Downtown Council Vice President Melanie White has a new career — she’s now sales director for Bailey Publishing & Communications and she’ll be talking to you about our array of publications.
• The Florida Department of Transportation is changing the traffic signal for southbound vehicles on the Main Street Bridge. Beginning Wednesday, all southbound traffic will stop on the approach to the bridge when traffic coming from the on ramp at the Landing has a green signal.
• Mayor John Peyton’s search for improved financial strategies is not a one-year commitment. Interim Chief Financial Officer Walt Bussells says the administration would look for “one to three financial ideas to improve the budget each year.”
• Finance Director Cal Ray said the pay raise for City workers included in the final version of Mayor Peyton’s budget would be negotiable. He said ongoing collective bargaining negotiations would produce the final number.
• School Board Vice Chairman Martha Barrett is the speaker at Friday morning’s Downtown Council meeting.
• The law offices of Wicker, Smith, O’Hara, McCoy, Graham & Ford are moving. From the 31st floor of the Bank of America tower to the 27th.
• Neptune Beach city manager Dick Linn has angered City Council members and residents of the beach community with his decision to divide an oceanfront lot without seeking Council input. Many are saying the decision will greatly impact beach access, not only at the site approved by Linn, but at other accesses. Council members are expecting a large turnout for Monday’s workshop when the matter will be discussed.
• The City Council meeting scheduled for Nov. 11 has been moved back a day. Tuesday is Veteran’s Day.
• Mayor Peyton and Sheriff John Rutherford will throw out the first pitch before the Suns game Aug. 22. Before the game, local firefighters will play members of the sheriff’s office in a charity softball game.
• Walt Bussells said he has asked 150 private citizens to sit on various subcommittees and commissions. So far, he said, only three have turned him down. “The spirit of volunteerism is alive and well in Jacksonville,” said Bussells.