by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Making a statement regarding one of the more controversial issues in recent city government history is a good way to get noticed.
The candidates recently elected to leadership positions on the Taxation, Revenue & Utilization of Expenditures (TRUE) Commission want to make the commission more visible to encourage citizen input and make the public more aware of how its government is operating. After serving as vice chair of the commission after Pam Korn resigned, Wes Benwick was elected chair, Robert Jones was elected vice chair and Joe Andrews was elected secretary at the commission’s regular meeting last Thursday.
“We are a set of concerned business leaders looking at the city government from a business perspective,” said Benwick, president and CEO of Bennett’s Business Systems. “We look at the operation of government and we take the politics out of it.”
The commission followed this way of thinking when it investigated the City’s contract for the Trail Ridge Landfill. It met with City officials in order to gain information and background on the issue and submitted its recommendation to the City Council after its April 20 special meeting.
Its recommendation was as follows: “The TRUE Commission recommends to the Mayor and City Council that the procurement code waiver requested in pending Ordinance 2008-538 be denied; that the City undertake efforts to obtain settlement (to the degree possible) of all the legal issues surrounding landfill operations contract and extension proposal; and that the City begin developing alternative waste disposal strategies for implementation after the existing landfill contract is concluded, including consideration of the City taking over operation of the landfill in-house.”
The TRUE Commission can consist of up to 18 members with up to six chosen by the City Council president, up to six chosen by the mayor and up to six chosen by the Citizens Planning Advisory Committees (CPACs). It currently consists of 16 members. Its duties include acting as an advisory body to the city concerning fiscal policy, helping to improve the City’s long-range financial soundness and keeping the public informed about important issues related to City financing and budgeting.
“We have a pretty broad charter of powers to look into just about any legislation that comes before the Council,” said Jones, an attorney with Blackburn & Company. “The commission provides citizen input on these issues, so the Council has some background from the citizens on the issues they are voting on.”
The next substantial issue facing the City will be passing a balanced budget, and it has not been decided whether or not the commission will offer recommendations when it is presented to Council by the mayor.
“One of the biggest looming issues is the budget, and part and parcel of the budget is the police and fire pension fund, which will have to be addressed,” said Jones. “The commission will have to decide if it wants to weigh in on that.”
Andrews was elected to a leadership role alongside Jones and Benwick at the Thursday meeting. He is retired, but is active in keeping up with the operation of City government as a member of the Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County.
The commission normally meets on the first Thursday of each month at 4 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, but the commission will follow the Council’s schedule and not meet in July. The Council takes off the first two weeks in July and that eliminates the commission’s normal monthly meeting.
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