OFFICE OF THE CITY COUNCIL

 

CHERYL L. BROWN                                                                                                                    117 WEST DUVAL STREET, SUITE 425

            DIRECTOR                                                                                                                                                                                                 4TH FLOOR, CITY HALL

   OFFICE (904) 630-1452                                                                                                                                                                                  JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA  32202

     FAX (904) 630-2906                                                                                                                                                                                                                

  E-MAIL: CLBROWN@coj.net

 

 

 

CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

RE: ORDINANCES 2011-399 AND 2011-400

MEETING MINUTES

June 21, 2011

1:00 p.m.

 

Location:  City Council Chamber, 1st floor, City Hall – St. James Building; 117 West Duval Street

    

In attendance:  Council Members Webb (President), Bishop, Clark, Redman, Shad, Gaffney, Lee, Jones, R. Brown, Holt, Carter, D. Brown, Fussell, Crescimbeni, and Joost

 

Excused: Council Members Corrigan, Hyde, Johnson and Yarborough

 

Meeting Convened:  2:05 p.m. after the conclusion of an extended Finance Committee meeting and a brief PHS Committee meeting scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

 

Public Comment

The following persons spoke in general opposition, either to the amendments to the pension plans proposed by the ordinances, or to the request for emergency action, or both: Michael Jackson, Rod Morrill, Deborah Gonzalez, Daniel Carr, Lucille Coberly, Ted Wendler, Connie Benham, Pat McBride, Valerie Knollman Conrad Markle and Tony Bates.

 

Nelson Cuba, President of the local Fraternal Order of Police, spoke in opposition to City Council even considering these proposals because the City and FOP are currently in a collective bargaining impasse and are awaiting a magistrate’s recommendation on the impasse..

 

Steve Rohan and John Germany of the General Counsel’s Office stated that the pension issue is properly before the City Council because the police and fire unions have refused to bargain pension issues at the collective bargaining table and are willing to accept any reform package agreed to by the Police and Fire Pension Fund.

 

In response to a question from Council Member Crescimbeni, Mr. Rohan indicated that the proposed changes embodied in the ordinance will not become effective unless and until the Police and Fire Pension Fund agrees to the changes in writing. PFPF Director John Keane indicated that the board of trustees of the fund has agreed in principle to the proposed changes, but attorneys are still crafting the exact language.  In response to questions from several members about why the bills are being requested for emergency action, Chief Administrative Officer Kerri Stewart stated that because so many of the City Council members and administrative personnel who have studied pensions in great depth over the last several years will be leaving office in the next 2 weeks, it is important that those with a long history and a wealth of knowledge on the subject of pensions have the opportunity to make this important decision.  A delay of more than a week will mean that an entirely new set of players will have to start essentially from scratch on the pension issue.

 

Motion (Holt): approve the substitute to 2011-400 distributed at the meeting, as amended to remove reference to revising the pension fund’s investment policies, as an emergency – approved 10-5

 

Motion (Holt) approve the substitute to 2011-399 distributed at the meeting as an emergency - approved 10-5

 

 

The meeting was adjourned at 3:50 p.m.

 

Jeff Clements, Council Research Division

6.23.11      Posted: 10:00 a.m.