by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
When City Council member Glorious Johnson introduced three bills in late July to repeal the three fees Council passed in 2007, she did so under the assumption the Council Finance Committee would make major cuts to the budget. Her hope was enough “waste” would be found to repeal the fees she calls “regressive taxation.”
Monday, Johnson asked the Finance Committee to withdraw the legislation from consideration, something the Finance Committee approved unanimously and without discussion or debate.
“They made the cuts, but put them back in the budget,” said Johnson.
The fees include the stormwater management, solid waste and franchise fees. To date, the City has only collected about two-thirds of the assessed fees and is considering several options that include a partial payment plan for the 2010 fees and imposing liens on the property of those who haven’t paid. The latter of those two options, however, may cost more than is owed in outstanding fees.
“I thought it would be right to withdraw the bills. I don’t like to withdraw them,” said Johnson. “Some have said to push them anyway, but I want it to be with the consensus of my colleagues.”
Another bill that Johnson is sponsoring was deferred one more cycle after Johnson said the Council Rules Committee raised more questions than answers Monday morning. The bill would drastically reduce the number of Assistant Management Improvement Officers (AMIOs) on the City payroll from the nearly 500 currently to 20.
“The Rules Committee had a very good discussion and a lot of good questions,” said Johnson, adding she researched the position within the City Charter and found the original language for a single AMIO. “Someone changed that and put an ‘s.’ My concern is too many people are going into the Charter and making changes.”
In addition to limiting the number of AMIOs to 20, Johnson’s legislation would create qualifications, job descriptions, salary ranges and protect current City employees. Johnson said too often those who are appointed AMIOs get the job as payback for political favors. She also said the jobs are often “created for a specific person” as opposed to being open to qualified applicants and advertised.
“Many fill needed job functions, but the jobs and titles are outside the normal civil service jobs. This city is weighed down with far too many managers,” she said, adding the employee to supervisor ratio is 4:1. “That’s a lot of managers.”
In other news from Finance:
• The Committee approved a flat rate of $8 a day for boaters to use electrical hookups at Metropolitan Park. Nathan Rezeau, division chief of waterfront management and property for the City, said the project will be complete by spring.
“We polled 20 other marina sites,” said Rezeau when asked where the $8 fee came from. He said the actual electrical usage per day will be between $2.35 and $2.88.
“They will all be on one meter, but a separate meter from the rest of Metropolitan Park,” he said.
• Finance also passed an ordinance authorizing a lease agreement between JEA and the Tax Collector’s Office for a 4,100 square-foot office on Commonwealth Avenue. The Tax Collector will pay $6 a square foot for the first five years with annual adjustments.
• The Committee also approved a $1.076 million eminent domain case that includes the property and attorney’s fees. The City is building an overpass on land owned by CSX on New Kings Road.
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