Mayor Alvin Brown’s reform legislation passed its first City Council committee for a few minutes Thursday before a reconsidered vote resulted in yet another deferral.
That totals three deferrals in three committees this week and casts doubt that the government overhaul will be approved Tuesday at the full Council meeting. Brown wanted the plan to be approved by Dec. 13.
The Council’s Recreation, Community Development, Public Health & Safety Committee reconvened its Tuesday meeting on Thursday specifically to address the legislation.
Most of the changes made to the legislation through amendments were technical and often cleaned up or strengthened language.
The committee also reviewed the recommendations of a five-person reform study group consisting mostly of past administration officials. Committee Chairman Bill Gulliford initiated the group.
Several of the group’s recommendations had already been amended into the legislation before Tuesday’s meeting. Several other suggestions were held off and will be considered in the second phase of reorganization.
The first phase of the reform deals with government restructuring.
Gulliford also brought up “the 800-pound gorilla in the room” — the role and form of the Jacksonville Children’s Commission.
Under some proposals, the commission would merge with the Jacksonville Journey with a director appointed by the mayor and approved by Council instead of being appointed by its board.
“That is a significant change,” said Gulliford.
Past commission Chairman Howard Korman and Brown have been in talks about the restructuring to create a “win-win situation,” said Korman.
Korman said that more important than how the director is appointed is the ability to preserve existing partnerships with funding entities.
“My concern is we don’t lose those partnerships,” Korman told the committee.
The committee appeared to be ready to pass a substituted form of Brown’s legislation with a 4-2 vote until a motion passed to reconsider it, resulting in a 3-3 tie, triggering deferral.
Committee members Gulliford, Doyle Carter, Robin Lumb and Kim Daniels originally supported moving the bill while Matt Schellenberg and Lori Boyer opposed it. Council member Reggie Brown was not in attendance.
The move to reconsider shifted Daniels onto opposition. Boyer voiced concern that Council members who don’t sit on the Rules or Finance committees might want to look more closely at the issues.
Even if the ordinance had passed the recreation committee, the legislation would have needed the Council president or a two-thirds majority of the full Council to discharge it from the committee level to be voted on Tuesday.
“I don’t see it really happening,” Gulliford said.
Chris Hand, Brown’s chief of staff, said early today that the administration would pursue all of its legislative options, including potentially discussing with Council President Stephen Joost the possibility of discharging it from the committee level.
Even without Dec. 13 approval, Hand said there are steps to reform that that the administration can take that do not affect legislation.
“We’re moving forward,” he said.
356-2466