A reform study group gave a unanimous vote of approval Monday to the portion of Mayor Alvin Brown’s reorganization plan dealing with the City’s economic development structure.
“My initial reaction is to let the mayor have what he’s asking for,” said Sam Mousa. “Let the buck stop with him.”
City Council member Bill Gulliford formed the group Nov. 15 to review the proposed reorganization. The group consists of five people who largely have high-level experience in past administrations, including Mousa, who was chief administrative officer for former Mayor John Delaney.
Mousa said Council members should approve the reorganization plan and then “hold the mayor accountable thereafter.”
Jerry Mallot and Don Shea, Brown’s economic-development strategy team considered the architects of the proposed structure, joined the meeting. Mallot is president of the JAXUSA Partnership and Shea is executive director of the Jacksonville Civic Council.
Mallot told the group that the new structure will lead to a more timely and efficient method to approve deals that create jobs. He wants the deal-approval window to narrow to two weeks, which would include Council review.
He said the current system can take 10 weeks. The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission reviews and approves deals and then Council does the same.
Mallot said that limits Jacksonville’s competitiveness.
Mallot said Monday a deal could be announced soon that under the City process would have been lost.
“We have an opportunity to get back some of the projects that bypassed us,” Mallot said.
The group consists of Mousa, Steve Diebenow, Wyman Duggan, Derek Igou and Ron Mallett.
Diebenow was chief of policy and planning and chief of staff for former Mayor John Peyton and Igou was deputy CAO for Peyton. Duggan led the Charter Revision Commission. Mallett is a former member of the City’s Public Service Grant Commission, former chairman of the Taxation, Revenue & Utilization of Expenditures Commission and is chief of staff for Public Defender Matt Shirk.
The study group didn’t necessarily agree with all of Brown’s proposed structure.
Igou questioned the placement of the City’s parking division under economic development, given the division’s functions outside of collecting Downtown revenues from parking garages and meters. Licensing taxis and inspecting school buses were two examples.
“It’s critical to know what you’re asking for,” Mousa said.
Mallot said the division’s inclusion was less about revenue and more about identifying a problem and addressing it while “changing the culture” to attract people and businesses Downtown.
Policy issues, such as potentially splitting the division’s responsibilities, would come in the second phase of reorganization after the structure is approved.
Shea discussed the Downtown aspects of the structure, including the reform of the JEDC into a Downtown development authority, which requires a local bill to the Legislature. He said the changes would help Downtown regain the advocacy it lost when the former Downtown Development Authority merged into the JEDC in 1997.
Gulliford asked the study group to provide experienced insight into the government structure and reform to his colleagues on the Recreation, Community Development, Public Health and Safety Committee. He chairs that committee.
Gulliford said Monday he would like to see the group reconvene after Brown introduces the second phase of reorganization that will deal with policy changes and potential savings.
The group will meet at 5 p.m. today in Council offices to discuss the citizen services structure.
Brown said last week he is optimistic his plan will be approved by Council by Dec. 13, the last full Council meeting of the year.
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