by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
City Council Vice President Jack Webb and Council member Clay Yarborough made it very clear they support two pieces of legislation aimed at helping the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office do its job better.
Their issue is the source of the funds — grants from the United States Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice. At first glance, those sources seem appropriate. However, when Yarborough pressed the issue, it was discovered the money is actually from the American Reinvestment & Recovery Act, or stimulus funds.
According to the bill summary, the grant from the Justice Department is for $415,633 and the funds will go towards “enhancing the JSO’s recruitment efforts to ensure a sufficient pool of high quality candidates for job openings within the department.” The funds will allow JSO to use a recruiter to advertise position availability and travel to colleges and job fairs. It will also go towards the purchase of computers and a portable fingerprint system to take to job fairs and on recruiting trips.
The other bill, according to the bill summary, appropriates $200,000 to purchase a specialty van with a mobile X-ray inspection system. That system will provide analysis and identification capabilities of suspicious items and packages.
“It’s hard to vote against this because of what the funds will be used for,” said Yarborough during Tuesday’s Finance Committee meeting. “Law enforcement, we all agree, is one of our top priorities. While I fully support JSO, I can’t support using ARRA funds for law enforcement.”
Webb — and Finance Chair Stephen Joost — also voted against the bill, which passed by a 5-3 vote.
“I tend to agree with Council member Yarborough on this matter,” he said. “It’s easy to make a protest vote. There is a philosophical question that begs some deeper thought. If we lose this funding, are we doing a disservice to those who elected us?”
Maxine Person of JSO said if the Finance Committee had — or the full Council does — voted against the bill, the funds would have reverted back to the federal government.
Assistant Chief Mike Williams said the equipment purchased with the Homeland Security grant will be used by the JSO Bomb Squad.
In other news:
• The committee approved a bill that will allow the Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corp. to combine a $595,800 loan and a $397,200 grant from the Northwest Jacksonville Economic Development Trust Fund to build a 15,000 square foot mixed use/office/retail facility. The project is expected to create 17 new jobs.
• The City is in the process of approving an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation for the City to maintain the Kernan Bridge overpass at Beach Boulevard.
• The lease with Sphinx Management, Inc. was extended until Dec. 31 with the maximum indebtedness increased by $396,000. The company is owned by Fitzhugh Powell and manages the South Mulch Site on Phillips Highway.
“We had this discussion last fall,” said Finance member Bill Bishop, adding he was under the assumption it was the last the lease agreement would be renewed. “Public Works has said we won’t have to deal with this again.”
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