It’s the end of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission as we know it, or at least as we call it.
Next week could be the start of even more changes that Mayor Alvin Brown pledged as part of his reorganization of City government.
The 15-year-old commission, started by former Mayor John Delaney in 1997, is now the Office of Economic Development and will move today from the Police and Fire Pension Fund Building to Suite 275 in City Hall.
On Tuesday, Legislation could be added to the City Council meeting agenda involving the economic development reorganization.
Council President Stephen Joost said Thursday that he was asked by the administration to add the pending legislation.
“I told them I would put them on the agenda,” Joost said. He deferred to the mayor’s office to make any announcement about it.
Chris Hand, Brown’s chief of staff, said this morning that the administration plans to have economic development reform legislation ready for introduction Tuesday.
The City announced the JEDC’s address change in an emailed “Downtown Development Brief” Wednesday with the headline: “The Office of Economic Development (formerly known as the JEDC) is moving to a new location in Downtown Jacksonville.”
It reported that the commission will move from the Police and Fire Pension Fund building at 1 W. Adams St. to City Hall at 117 W. Duval St., Suite 275.
The new address is effective Monday. The telephone number remains 630-1858.
Brown has been vocal in calling for changes to the City’s economic development structure, proposing that the JEDC become a countywide function within his office and that a Downtown development board be formed to focus on the core city.
Brown tapped JAXUSA Partnership President Jerry Mallot and Jacksonville Civic Council Executive Director Don Shea to serve as executives-on-loan to recommend economic development strategies.
Brown campaigned on reorganizing City government, including creation of an independent Downtown development authority.
The steps have begun.
A local bill sponsored by state Rep. Lake Ray for the January legislative session allows City officials to amend or repeal portions of the City Charter relating to the JEDC.
The language will allow the City to reorganize the JEDC without issuing another local bill and allowing all action to take place at the local level.
Support for the measure was adopted by the Council after the bill was filed in Tallahassee in what is generally atypical for such local bills. However, it allowed for the bill to be heard this year rather than having to wait until 2013 or to be heard in a special session.
The bill passed the House March 5 and the Senate March 9 and is awaiting Gov. Rick Scott’s signature.
Shea, an adviser to Brown for a strategy on Downtown development, said that the name change makes sense because of the J-Bill.
“The J-Bill allowing the City to modify its approach to economic development (means) the JEDC is going to be shifted in emphasis to be strictly Downtown and that is forthcoming, but not quite ready yet,” he said.
Mallot was traveling Thursday. Reached by cellphone, he deferred comment to the mayor’s office.
The JEDC has been the clearinghouse for City economic development efforts, including Downtown development.
Its most recent executive director, Ron Barton, joined the JEDC in August 2005, becoming its third full-time executive director.
After Brown was elected May 17 and took office July 1, Barton was one of the department heads who submitted a letter of resignation, which is standard procedure with new administrations. Barton’s letter was accepted and he left City employment at the end of September.
Delaney created the commission as the City’s economic development office, combining functions that had been handled by several entities, including the former independent Downtown Development Authority.
The commission covers countywide economic development. Staff negotiates incentives for projects and monitors the deals and assists developments.
A nine-member commission meets regularly to review and approve the deals and then sends them to City Council for approvals.
The JEDC also serves as the Downtown development arm of the City.
The stated mission of the JEDC is to develop and execute policies that result in sustainable job growth, rising personal incomes and a broader tax base throughout Northeast Florida.
Barton said in July that the JEDC staff, which had reached 42 people at its peak, had contracted to 16. That staff contraction was cited as a reason for compliance and monitoring issues found in a recent City Council audit.
The 25-page audit, released in December, criticized several incentives deals from 2007-10, mainly dealing with oversight and compliance of “recaptured enhanced value” grants for job creation.
Brown appointed a compliance task force to make recommendations about ensuring accountability in City economic development efforts. Those findings are expected in May.
After the audit’s release, Council members also demanded answers. A Council Audit Subcommittee questioned Paul Crawford, JEDC acting executive director, and the City’s Procurement Division about communication, controls and compliance.
“We want to be open, we want to be transparent, we want to protect the taxpayer because we realize the buck stops here,” Crawford told the subcommittee.
Crawford told the mayor’s compliance task force that the drop in JEDC staff from more than 40 to fewer than 20 affected compliance and oversight.
The budget for the JEDC has not run out and funds remain for a few more weeks, according to City information.
Brown’s proposed reorganization of City government included an economic development commissioner to handle five functions: Planning and development; the office of economic development; Jacksonville Downtown development; public-private partnerships; and sports and entertainment.
Under Brown’s reform proposal, the economic development director will report directly to the mayor.
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