OFFICE OF
THE CITY COUNCIL
117 WEST DUVAL STREET, SUITE 425
4TH FLOOR, CITY HALL
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 32202
904-630-1377
Finance Committee Agenda Meeting Minutes
June 6, 2016
9:00 a.m.
Topic:
Finance Committee agenda meeting
Location:
Conference Room A, City Hall –
In attendance:
Council Members Bill
Gulliford, Danny
Becton, Lori Boyer, Anna Lopez Brosche, Reginald Gaffney, Aaron Bowman,
John Crescimbeni, Matt Schellenberg
Also: Kyle Billy – Council Auditor’s Office; Paige Johnston and
Jody Brooks – Office of General Counsel; Jeff Clements – Council Research
Division; Jessica Matthews – Legislative Services Division; Ali Korman Shelton
– Mayor’s Office; Mike Weinstein and Teresa Eichner – Finance Department;
Stephanie Burch – Real Estate Division; Jordan Pope and Nancy Kilgo – JEA; John
Shellhorn – Mosquito Control; Eric Green – Jaxport; Daryl Joseph – Parks,
Recreation and Community Services Department
See attached sign-in sheet for additional attendees
Meeting Convened:
9:00 a.m.
Chairman Gulliford called the meeting to order and asked the
attendees to introduce themselves. He reviewed the Auditor’s marked agenda
which included 11 items marked for deferral, 13 items ready for action (1 for
withdrawal, 1 as an emergency) and 13 items for second reading and re-referral.
Council Member Crescimbeni asked that 2015-381 (amending
City Public Investment Policy regarding incentives for companies that hire
employees residing in the enterprise zone) be deferred rather than withdrawn as
shown on the marked agenda until action is taken on 2016-382, adoption of the
revised Public Investment Policy.
Council Member Boyer noted that 2016-334 (authorizing a
second amendment to the Lofts On Main redevelopment agreement) approves a
waiver of a portion of the Northwest Jacksonville Economic Development Fund
requirements and stated that the Council Rules require that, before waivers are
approved, the Council shall receive an informal recommendation from the Council
Auditor’s Office, Office of General Counsel and Council Research Division on
the appropriateness of the requested wavier.
Council Member Bowman requested an update from the Mosquito
Control Division on the latest impact of the Zika virus in Jacksonville in
conjunction with 2016-320 (appropriating $122,524 from Mosquito Control fund
balance to operational support).
Council Member Schellenberg reported that a topic of
discussion at a recent Florida League of Cities meeting was a ruling by the
Florida Supreme Court that impacts the amount of compensation that plaintiff
attorneys can receive for pursuing worker’s compensation case. City Risk
Manager Twane Duckworth explained that the court ruled that the current
statutory guidelines prescribing attorney payment rates can sometimes produce
an inequitable result (too little compensation to be considered reasonable) and
gave judges the discretion to award reasonable fees. Since this opens up an
avenue of uncertainty in dealing with worker’s compensation cases, it is likely
that insurance companies will raise their worker’s comp premiums. The court
also ruled that these fees can be adjusted retroactively, so cities and
counties are reviewing records from the past several years trying to estimate their
potential liability for attorney’s fees in previously settled cases.
Meeting Adjourned:
9:10 a.m.
Minutes: Jeff Clements, Council Research
6.6.16 Posted 11:30 a.m.
Tapes: Finance agenda
meeting– LSD
6.6.16
Materials: Auditor’s marked Finance agenda
6.6.16