A local bill to allow the City to repeal the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission was filed this week for the January session of the state Legislature.
The local bill, also known as a J-Bill, refers to Article 24 of the City Charter relating to the JEDC and states the “government may amend or repeal any portion of this article or ordinance, and such ordinance shall be effective without approval by referendum of the electors.”
The “amend” language of the bill, if passed, also will allow the City to amend and reorganize the JEDC into other governmental departments without issuing another J-Bill, said Chris Hand, Mayor Alvin Brown’s chief of staff. The mayor has expressed his desire to do so as part of his reorganization plan.
An information sheet on the proposed bill names the mayor as the person submitting the proposed legislation and Mario Rubio, Brown’s state affairs liaison, as the contact.
State Rep. Lake Ray, chairman of the Duval Legislative Delegation, is sponsoring the proposal.
Brown’s reorganization plan has called for the JEDC which currently oversees both Downtown and overall Duval County economic development, to be renamed the “Economic Development Board.”
The plan calls for the renamed JEDC to focus solely on Downtown development. It would be housed under the Jacksonville Downtown Development function of the proposed Economic Development Commission.
After Brown’s proposed plan was unveiled to Jacksonville City Council members Nov. 8, administration officials said the required local bill that would initiate that change would be submitted for the 2013 session.
The 2012 session starts in January, which moved the deadline to file local bills to Sept. 1.
That discussion has changed in recent weeks. Brown told the Daily Record last week that the earlier time frame “is a possibility.”
“It’d be great if we could do it now,” Brown said in the interview. “My goal is it’s going to happen. If we can do it now, great, if not it’s 2013.”
Ray said Wednesday that because the session starts earlier than usual and Brown has only been in office since July, he thought the administration should be allowed to make its presentation for the change.
Typically, Ray said, Council will pass a resolution supporting a proposed local bill before it is taken to local Delegation members, but the timing does not permit it this time.
The Legislature usually begins the session in March, and the deadline for local bills is January. However, this year the session starts early to take up redistricting.
This time, Council will have the opportunity to pass a resolution on the bill after it’s taken up by local delegation members.
The information sheet states “it is anticipated the City Council will adopt a Resolution recommending the bill.”
Council President Stephen Joost said Wednesday he couldn’t speak for other members of the Council, but that he has no problem with the local bill and sees it as another part of the reform plan.
If anyone is apprehensive about such a move, it would likely be the state Legislature, he said.
Joost said taking the local bill to the Legislature now makes sense because if Council does approve the reform plan by Dec. 13 or early 2012, the JEDC portion needing a change at the state level would have had to wait until 2013.
“They’d be stuck,” said Joost.
The bill will be discussed at today’s 10 a.m. Duval Delegation meeting at City Hall. It is listed on the agenda with Rubio and John Germany, with the General Counsel’s Office, as presenters.
A list of 17 speakers on the agenda includes Sheriff John Rutherford, Property Appraiser Jim Overton, Police and Fire Pension Fund Executive Director John Keane and Jacksonville Aviation Authority Director of External Affairs Michael Stewart.
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