When it comes to city mowing, Denise Lee feels like she is trying to corral an octopus.
The District 8 City Council member is pitching legislation to consolidate maintenance of all rights of way, city-owned landscaping and mowing into a new division within Public Works.
The issue arose during budget hearings and Lee offered a $1 million boost to mowing, part of a $2 million package to combat blight.
Currently, mowing can be done by several different entities, including the city Real Estate division, Right of Way and Ground Maintenance, Code Enforcement or even JEA.
A complaint could come in about overgrowth, be sent to one department, which then determines the property or area is not under its purview. That complaint could then be sent to another department, which might or might not be able to address the issue.
Making the rounds through the system takes time, which is part of the problem, Lee said. "We do have a problem in the city," she said Monday. "It's kind of like an octopus. You've got all these tentacles going different ways."
The division Lee wants to create within Public Works would be the place other departments report the complaints. For instance, if code compliance received a grievance, it would be sent to the mowing division director, which would subcontract the work.
If debris cleanup is needed, a contract would call for that, too.
And she chose to personally schedule one-on-one sit-downs with her council colleagues. On Monday, three of the five scheduled meetings took place, beginning with Richard Clark.
He wanted to see the estimated administrative costs and the two talked numbers, as did council member Matt Schellenberg who met with Lee after Clark.
In fiscal year 2009-10, the city spent just more than $9 million on mowing, according to documents prepared by the Council Auditor's Office.
That has continued to drop over the years, with $7.8 million for fiscal year 2012-13. Projections are that the city will spend $7.5 million for the current year, likely with $1 million coming later.
Then, council member Lori Boyer and Lee talked, with Boyer wanting to see what standards would be set for mowing various types of property because not all needed the same treatment.
Lee said the questions and concerns were exactly why she wanted the personal meetings and that input would be incorporated into a substitute she will propose.
Two other meetings ended up needing to be rescheduled. Nine more are scheduled today, with others sprinkled in throughout the rest of the week.
"I'm learning that, to some degree, I think we are all on the same page with the concern," Lee said after Monday's meetings.
Often, council members bring up legislation they propose during committees, which provides a more open debate. They might have a couple of meetings with others who have concerns.
Lee, though, said the reason she took the personal route with the other 18 members was simple.
"Because I want it done," she said.
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