An ordinance requiring that regular City Council meetings be broadcast live or delayed on a public or cable TV station was struck down in two committees this week.
The ordinance code amendment was defeated 5-0 in the Rules Committee Monday and 2-4 in the Finance Committee Tuesday.
Council Director Cheryl Brown told both committees that all meetings, not just those by Council, held in Council chambers are streamed live on the City’s website, www.coj.net.
According to the bill summary, Council meetings also are broadcast live on government access channels through both Comcast and AT&T U-verse.
Live broadcasts have not been viewed on TV since 1989, Brown said.
Brown told rules committee members she was “doing what is required” and “more than what’s required” in terms of transparency and that the current setup complies and also saves money for taxpayers.
The proposal would require that Council meetings be broadcast on public or cable stations and the Council secretary would be authorized to submit a budget request to Council appropriations to fund such a contract.
Brown told the finance committee Tuesday that she has contacted TV stations about picking up the broadcasts. However, if they did pick up the broadcasts, they would be digital, which still would isolate those without digital access.
Additionally, in the event the bill passed, Brown asked the finance committee to remove the funding requirement portion so that it does not affect negotiations with the current free service providers.
Council member Warren Jones supported the measure based on its intent and told his finance committee colleagues that there are citizens without access to the broadcast of Council meetings.
He said he would meet with Brown to pursue a broadcast means at no cost.
“We’re already doing this stuff and doing a pretty good job,” said rules Chairman Bill Bishop on Monday. “I’m not sure why we need it (the ordinance).”
Finance Chairman Richard Clark said he did not support the ordinance and did not want it within the ordinance code.
An amendment was discussed in the finance committee to strip the ordinance of the funding requirement, but that also went nowhere.
In other committee action this week:
• After several cycles of deferral, Mayor Alvin Brown’s appointment of Glenn Hansen as budget director was approved. Council members had deferred action because of Hansen’s residency in St. Marys, Ga., which prevented him from taking the City position without a waiver. “We are going to establish a residence in Jacksonville,” Hansen said Monday at the rules committee.
• Both committees approved an ordinance to move the responsibility of issuing citations for illegal parking in handicapped accessible spaces from the Public Parking Division to the Military Affairs, Veterans and Disabled Services Department. The rules committee voted 4-1 and the finance committee approved it 6-0.
“This is one thing everyone has been involved in,” said Council member Doyle Carter at the rules committee meeting. He introduced the bill.
During Tuesday’s finance committee meeting, an amendment was approved to move almost $33,000 for a position.
Both rules and finance committee members discussed why the ordinance issue had to be accomplished at the Council level rather than at the management level. Job specifications for the position, including language regarding leadership over an auxiliary force to write citations for such disabled parking violators, is currently being designed, said Jack Shad, City Parking Facilities and Enforcement Division chief.
Clark was among those dissatisfied with Council “micromanaging” but said “maybe making the move will fix the problem.”
• A resolution supporting the first local bill of the 2013 session was deferred Monday by the rules committee. The J-Bill expresses support to amend the City Charter relating to the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Board of Trustees composition and would eliminate the trustee position elected by the four other trustees and replace it with a third trustee appointed by Council.
Council member John Crescimbeni said he sought deferral because he learned about a legal opinion that would allow the action to be taken through a local ordinance rather than through the Legislature. He plans on filing legislation today.
• After being re-referred back to the rules committee from Council March 13, Jim Schock’s appointment as the City’s Building Inspection Division chief was approved.
• Jacksonville Aviation Authority Executive Director Steve Grossman’s appointment to the Tourist Development Council was deferred.
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