by David Chapman
Staff Writer
The City Council Finance Committee has approved an ordinance to enact a revamped settlement in the IKON Office Solutions dispute that will save the city almost $1 million from an original settlement figure that was brought to the committee last year.
The settlement — $2.2 million, down from the original $3.1 million — if approved by City Council, will be paid to the copier company for just over two years of unpaid service.
The City has had a working relationship with the company since 2000, but a dispute in 2005 over quantity and cost of equipment led to a stoppage in payment. After the stoppage, IKON continued to provide services and equipment to the City, based on contracts signed by former libraries chief financial officer Mike McDowell. It was determined he wasn’t authorized to sign contracts on behalf of the City.
The bill will allow the City to purchase the equipment provided by IKON for the past two years, saving $900,000 in the settlement.
The price differential, according to Chief Deputy General Counsel Cindy Laquidara, is from determining the City doesn’t need some of the equipment and that future maintenance is no longer needed.
The General Counsel’s work and new settlement figure were not lost on the committee.
“I think you all did a great job on this,” said Council member Jay Jabour. “The first settlement that came through a few months ago was deferred. You can really tell there is a lot of work that went into a new settlement and a lot of thought and I appreciate that.”
The Finance Committee took up other issues Monday, including:
• Approved a bill to appropriate $200,000 to develop a master plan for Cecil Field recreational uses. City Council President Daniel Davis stopped by the meeting to speak on behalf of the bill, which will benefit his district. The funds will come from a Special Council Contingency. “As you know we’ve had issues with weapon delineation and things like that and this is going to help us get jump started and make some of those improvements,” said Davis.
• An ordinance amendment that would allow patrons’ dogs in some outdoors areas of restaurants and food service establishments was deferred after discussion. The amendment is being sponsored by Council member Art Shad at the urging of his constituents, he said. Currently, he said, merchants are being fined $250 for being in violation of a health code that prohibits dogs from being in food service establishments. “It’s a pretty straightforward bill that decriminalizes sitting outside in a restaurant with your pet,” said Shad. After discussion of the current law in place and its enforcement in other areas of town, General Counsel Steve Rohan informed the committee that any business that allowed pets to sit outside was “blatantly illegal” due to health code violations. In 2006, a pilot program was initiated that would allow such ordinances with heavy enforcement, he added, but each business would have to apply for a permit that would have to be approved by City Council. Given the new information, the committee deferred action.
• An amendment that would change the tipping fees for Trail Ridge Landfill was deferred after researchers determined they needed to make a re-evaluation after working with auditors before presenting it to the committee. The amendment will be presented to the committee again in two weeks.
• Approved an ordinance that clarified municipality responsibility on 31 acres of development near the Selva Marina Golf Course. Of the 114 residential lots, 22 are in Jacksonville, 87 are in Atlantic Beach and five are in both. Those that lie along the line will be governed by whichever municipality has more of the land.