Mayor Alvin Brown’s proposed independent Downtown Investment Authority passed two of three City Council committees Wednesday and likely will be considered by the full Council Aug. 15.
The Council Rules, Finance, and Recreation and Community Development committees have met weekly for more than a month to review Mayor Alvin Brown’s proposed economic development reform. The new authority is designed to guide Downtown economic development.
Voted separately, legislation for the authority passed the Rules Committee by 6-0, Finance by 3-1 and Recreation and Community Development by 4-0.
The Land Use and Zoning Committee earlier approved the legislation.
The authority is the second of three parts of Brown’s proposed reform. The first, which Council approved June 25, created the Office of Economic Development to replace the non-Downtown functions of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission.
The Downtown Investment Authority legislation has been heavily amended and is now a substitute. Council members have altered language, functions and oversights.
The lack of a fourth vote in the Finance Committee means the legislation is deferred and will again be on the agenda for the committee’s Tuesday meeting.
Council member John Crescimbeni, the lone vote in opposition, said he wanted to completely re-read the substituted legislation and have an opportunity for questions at the committee level before a full Council vote.
Council President Bill Bishop has advocated for completing the Downtown portion of the legislation before budget hearings begin Aug. 9 and has acted as a member of the Finance and Recreation and Community Development committees to fill a quorum. He also was the member who moved the substituted bill.
“The work is done, but I think John (Crescimbeni) just wants an opportunity to read the final version once it’s all done and written out. I expect it to get out (of Council Aug. 15),” Bishop said after the meeting.
The last part of Brown’s reform deals with expediting incentives at the Council level. Bishop said last week that will take much longer.
For now, the Downtown Investment Authority is shaping up like this.
• Four of the nine members of the authority’s board will be Council appointments. Brown wanted to choose all nine. Council will confirm all the members.
• The nine-member board still will have the power to hire the authority’s CEO, who will not be Council-confirmed, but Council will approve qualifications for the position.
• Posting of the board’s meetings for public notice will fall under the same standards as other publicly noticed meetings. Originally all that was required was a note in the City Hall lobby.
• An annual report of financial statements and updates will be provided to Council and the mayor’s office twice each fiscal year, up from Brown’s proposed once a year.
• The authority will work with the City’s Real Estate Department when buying and selling land within its area.
• While some Council members wanted to change the name to “agency,” the “authority” name will remain.
Council members also have questioned what type of compensation package the authority’s CEO will receive.
Jacksonville Civic Council Executive Director Don Shea reported survey results from downtown development executives in other cities. The salaries depended on the city sizes and budgets.
Shea said a salary of $200,000, not including benefits, is “the right number” for the authority’s CEO.
The authority’s budget has not been established and was part of the Office of Economic Development in Brown’s proposed 2012-13 budget.
Jessica Deal, Brown’s Council liaison, said that during budget hearings the two will be separated to assist Council’s review.
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