by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The City Council Finance Committee approved a bill Monday that will make it easier for ex-offenders to land employment with the City of Jacksonville. However, the process won’t be as easy as “apply and we’ll see you Monday.”
Former Council President Kevin Hyde and Council member Mia Jones sponsored the legislation that provides “favorable consideration for certain ex-offenders.” Hyde said the goal of the bill is to build upon some of the recommendations made by a subcommittee of Mayor John Peyton’s Jacksonville Journey and the 2006 study conducted by Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. that looked at reducing the murder rate in Jacksonville.
“The problem is, there are no real job opportunities for ex-offenders,” said Hyde, who added that studies show recidivism goes down markedly when ex-offenders find gainful employment. “This is not an affirmative action or a quota.”
Under the stipulations of the bill — which must still be approved by the full Council — ex-offenders will be eligible for City employment after they meet certain criteria established by the City’s Human Resources Division. Some of those requirements include: the ex-offender must be qualified for the position; they must have been through employment programs, rehabilitation or have comparable experience; and they must meet the same requirements as others seeking City employment.
“This bill establishes the framework, HR will develop the rules” said Hyde, adding ex-offenders would also be eligible to work for subcontractors working for the City.
“If we are serious about fighting crime, this is an opportunity to lead by example,” he said. “Jacksonville is not the first (to implement this program), but we will be one of the first.”
The Finance Committee also approved a bill pertaining to the Jacksonville Aviation Authority and all projects related to Craig Airport in Arlington.
For several years, the Authority has been looking to extend one of the runways at Craig and has met opposition from both Council and the community. Recently, Council members introduced four J-Bills that will be considered by the Duval Delegation. Of those four, three pertain to the independent agencies that act under the partial guidance and approval of Council — the Aviation Authority, the Jacksonville Port Authority, JEA and JTA.
The bill the Finance Committee passed unanimously Monday removes projects related to the Craig Runway extension from the JAA Capital Improvement Project list. The bill also requires Council approval every time the JAA seeks to transfer more than $50,000 — a move that Finance member Stephen Joost questioned — and places $500,000 set aside for Craig runway extension design and construction into a Council contingency fund.
Council President Ronnie Fussell and Council members Clay Yarborough and Bill Bishop sponsored the legislation. Fussell said the bill was a product of discussions that arose while the Finance Committee was examining the proposed 2008-09 JAA budget.
“The money has to be put into the City Council contingency until the their (JAA) budget is balanced,” said Fussell, adding it will stay there until the Federal Aviation Authority — which has the ultimate say in a runway extension and other major JAA capital projects — agrees to move the funds.
“I want to put this behind us and work on the positives such as Cecil Commerce Center,” said Fussell.
Joost said he was at a JEA board meeting last week and doesn’t understand why the JAA is being singled out for its transfers.
“Should we be looking at this for all the independent agencies?” he said. “The Port Authority, JEA — they are transferring money all the time between their accounts.”
Fussell said monitoring and approving every transfer would teeter on micromanagement.
“They ought to be able to approve some,” said Fussell. “They have boards appointed by the governor and mayor that deal with those smaller amounts.”
Other news from Monday’s Finance meeting:
• The Committee approved the issuance of a $40 million mortgage revenue bond for the Jacksonville Finance Housing Authority. The money will be used to loan developers money for the purpose of building new affordable housing or rehabilitating existing structures for affordable housing.
• The City will spend $900,000 to purchase property from a private owner in Mandarin to construct more parking at baseball fields in Mandarin. According to Finance member and bill sponsor Jack Webb, the number of fields has increased over the years, but the available parking hasn’t. Webb said he gathered the funding from every source possible.
“Dist. 6 has no more bond money left after this acquisition,” said Webb.
• The Finance Committee once again deferred the legislation pertaining to the Trail Ridge Landfill. The bill was introduced to Council June 24 and has been heavily scrutinized for a variety of reasons since its introduction. Finance Chair Michael Corrigan said he’s hoping the mayor’s office, the Office of General Counsel and Waste Management can work out an agreement, one that’s supported by both the mayor’s office and Council.
Among many provisions, the bill would allow the City to enter into an agreement with Waste Management without a competitive bid process for the contract to manage the landfill. Opponents of the bill have said the language of the legislation is illegal under the City’s procurement rules.
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