by David Chapman
Staff Writer
The City Council Finance Committee rejected one of Mayor Alvin Brown’s budget initiatives and withheld funding from another Thursday at its first hearing to review Brown’s proposed 2011-12 City budget.
The committee followed a Council Auditor’s recommendation and eliminated Brown’s pursuit to create nine new advisory boards that would cost $111,000.
The proposed bodies were to be advisory boards for Downtown, military affairs, neighborhoods, quality of life, seniors, the port, youth, education and workforce development and small business and entrepreneurship.
Several Finance Committee members, including Council member Clay Yarborough, said the new boards created overlap to existing functions and expanded government.
“It’s just too much,” said Yarborough.
Finance member Bill Gulliford and others suggested the administration take advantage of established bodies, such as the Citizen Planning Advisory Committees, which are similar to the proposed Advisory Council on Neighborhoods.
Chris Hand, Brown’s chief of staff, told the Council the proposed panels and boards might overlap in subject matter but would consist of 10-12 mayoral- appointed citizens and offer direct citizen input to the mayor.
Hand said the panels were a part of Brown’s reorganization effort and asked Council to put the proposal “below the line” so that administration officials could further make the case.
Putting an item “below the line” at budget hearings puts it on hold for later review.
Finance member John Crescimbeni also was in support of putting the advisory board budget item below the line.
Others disagreed.
“This is going backward in the governmental structure,” said Council Vice President Bill Bishop, who also serves on Finance.
The vote to table the measure failed.
The advisory board line item was eliminated in a 4-3 vote, with Finance members Warren Jones, Greg Anderson and Crescimbeni voting against elimination. Those three also voted to keep it below the line.
Hand and the administration were able to stave off elimination of another line item, a $2 million “economic development” measure under the Citywide activities heading of nondepartmental expenditures.
In its recommendations to Council, the Council Auditor’s office suggested not funding the item because “the administration has provided no support for this item.”
Hand told Council the $2 million fund could be drawn on by the mayor to solidify economic development activities for companies needing certainty and immediate response when considering whether to relocate or expand their presence in Jacksonville.
The fund, considered a “closing fund,” would allow the mayor to help close deals, Hand said.
Yarborough questioned the fund, saying it sounded much like what the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission does and said he needed more specifics.
Other Finance members said they were against giving the administration a “blank check” and “carte blanche” without further guidelines, but the measure was stopped short of elimination and instead was put below the line for later review.
“The burden of proof is pretty high,” said Clark. “It’s going to require a lot of detail.”
In other news from the budget hearings:
• During its review of the mayor’s office, Clark offered the motion of eliminating the inspector general’s office. Others were reluctant and it was instead put below the line, with Crescimbeni advising that a cost-benefit analysis study be done. Clark agreed with the study idea.
• Also during review of the mayor’s office, Finance members approved Brown’s $60,000 travel budget, which is up from former Mayor John Peyton’s $10,000 budget during his last year. Hand said the increase was so Brown could be “active and aggressive” in pursuing economic development activities in person, which Finance members lauded, but with a warning. “Spend it wisely,” said Crescimbeni, who added that he didn’t want to hear any media reports about misused travel funds.
• Throughout the day, one of the more popular terms was “pay-go” or having a pay-as-you-go process when purchasing items instead of adding to debt. Clark said the committee should find ways to institute it more.
• The seven Finance members were joined by most of their Council colleagues during parts of the day. While Finance non-members couldn’t vote, they were recognized and were able to offer input and ask questions. All but a few attended during the day.
• Originally scheduled for a morning and afternoon session that ended at 4:30 p.m., the hearing lasted until 6 p.m. Members were able to complete the morning agenda that included a Council Auditor’s overall review and departmental reviews of Information Technology, the mayor’s office and the Office of General Counsel and the Council. The afternoon session was postponed and will be included in two additional budget hearings to be scheduled on Fridays in the coming weeks.
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