Not everyone seems to be on board with Mayor Alvin Brown’s plan to support the water taxi.
City Council Finance Committee members for myriad reasons didn’t act on a bill that has the city providing up to $240,000 through a matching partnership with the service’s provider, Lakeshore Marine.
Matt Schellenberg thought with such financial support now in line, bidding for the service should be opened back up.
Richard Clark thought “throwing money” at the ridership problem wasn’t going to help.
John Crescimbeni lamented about a lack of scheduled performance benchmarks in the contract, a facet included in a matching partnership to revitalize Hemming Park.
The bill has the city providing $120,000 over the next two years, provided Lakeshore Marine can match that amount through private sources.
Already, Lakeshore Marine principals have pursued an “On Board Jax!” campaign to promote the water taxi and its benefit to Downtown. Lakeshore partner Heather Surface has said the Jacksonville Jaguars and The Florida Times-Union have agreed to provide $30,000 a year in funding and in-kind services toward that fundraising goal.
Surface told council members she thought the public sector should play a role in what she called a quality-of-life asset. She said private donors she’s approached also want to know if the city is stepping up.
The public-private partnership would offset revenue declines from the drop in ridership, which stands at about half of what the former provider drew in 2012. Given that and the terms of the contract, the model isn’t sustainable, Surface said.
Jim Bailey, a Downtown Investment Authority board member, said the “hiccups” the service has had after the city put out a request for proposals has created a challenge.
Renovation of the Southbank Riverwalk is part of the reason for a 50 percent reduction in ridership, he said.
“It will never work the way it’s designed,” said Bailey, who also is publisher of the Daily Record.
But, he added, the service is an asset to developing Downtown and others like Jacksonville Transportation Authority CEO Nat Ford and Visit Jacksonville CEO Paul Astleford would agree.
Bailey said he supports the concept of the match program, but at the same time thinks the contract needs to be clarified to give the vendor the ability to perform.
After hearing from the bill’s supporters, Crescimbeni said he heard there was a need for more contract flexibility. Lori Boyer said she didn’t mind leaving the bill pending, but wanted discussions on the funding source potentially coming from other departments and agencies. As of now, the money would come from the general fund.
Despite the early push Tuesday by some finance committee members to have the bill withdrawn, the support is still in play — committees simply didn’t act on the measure.
Other news from Tuesday’s Finance Committee meeting:
• A pension reform deal being pitched by council member Bill Gulliford is on its way to a final vote before the full council next week. The group passed the measure by a 6-3 vote, with Boyer, Crescimbeni and Schellenberg voting against.
As it was Monday in Rules Committee, Schellenberg said binding future leaders for a seven-year deal was “insane.”
Boyer had similar concerns, but also had issues with other changes like the immediate creation of a share plan the Police and Fire Pension Fund board could start contributing toward.
“It’s another benefit we can’t reduce,” she told finance members. The deal will be taken up by the entire 19-member council Tuesday. The last rendition of reform died in late March with a 9-9 vote.
• The committee also approved $415,000 for Mayor-elect Lenny Curry’s team to conduct a 90-day audit of city finances.
The audit was a pledge Curry made during the campaign, but several council members had heartburn with the timing of the review.
Gulliford and Schellenberg questioned the practical side of conducting a labor-intensive audit during transition and budget proceedings, especially in the narrow window.
Curry takes office July 1 and his budget would be due July 20, should a pending bill pass.
“I find the expectations are too great,” said Schellenberg, who also thought the audit should be bidded out.
Clark, a Curry supporter, said he didn’t know if there was a more important time to determine what challenges the city faces — challenges that could dictate how the administration and new council act.
Sam Mousa, Curry’s transition executive director, told the group the audit will help alert the administration of any major obstacles that might be revealed during the next few months.
But, he said, it likely wouldn’t influence the upcoming budget. Instead, it would help more in future years.
The committee passed it by a 6-3 vote, setting it up for a final vote Tuesday.
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