JACKSONVILLE CITY COUNCIL

RESEARCH DIVISION

 

 

PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES

 

OCTOBER 15, 2007

4:00 P.M.

 

CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER

1st floor, City Hall

117 W. Duval Street

 

 

Attendance: Kevin Hyde (Chair), Committee Members M. Jones, Gaffney, Holt, Joost, Redman and Yarborough

 

The meeting was called to order at 4:03 p.m.

 

Item/File No.

Title/History

 

 

1.  2007-1039

ORD Amend Sec 342.110 (Trades, Crafts, Contractors & Subcontractors), Ord Code; Request Emerg Apv. (McCain) (Req of Mayor)

Public Hearing Pursuant to Chapt 166, F.S. & CR 3.601 - 10/23/07

 

1. 10/9/2007 CO  Introduced: R,PHS

 

 

Deputy General Counsel Steve Rohan explained the need for this bill and for the emergency.  A 2004 change in the Florida Standard Building Code created a requirement for garage door contractors to have certificates to perform work.  The City never amended its code to create a certification for this profession, and now wishes to do so, with a system of temporary certifications good until December 1, 2007.

 

Emergency action approved to create the new certification as quickly as possible.

 

Amend to change the date for required full, permanent certification from December 1, 2007 to June 1, 2008; add language providing that temporary certification requires payment of all relevant fees and possession of all required business permits and licenses; and insert a provision that no homeowner or contractor shall be subject to fines or penalties for failure to have work done by a certified garage door contractor prior to June 1, 2008.

 

RECOMMEND APPROVAL AS AMENDED AS AN EMERGENCY 7-0

 

 

2.  2007-1040

ORD Approp $448,225 ($336,169 from U.S. Dept of Homeland Security & $112,056 Local Match) for Equipmt for Port Security Anti-Terrorism Prevention Activities. (BT 08-015) (McCain) (Req of Sheriff)

Public Hearing Pursuant to Chapt 166, F.S. & CR 3.601 - 10/23/07

 

1. 10/9/2007 CO  Introduced: F,PHS

 

 

RECOMMEND WITHDRAWAL 7-0

 

 

 

 

3.  2007-1044

ORD Auth Execution of 1st Renewal & Amend to Cooperative Agreemt on Behalf of JSO with the Duval County School Bd for the School Resource Officer Prog to Increase Maximum Indebtedness of DCSB for FY 2007-2008 School Yr to $3,605,000. (McCain) (Req of Sheriff)

Public Hearing Pursuant to Chapt 166, F.S. & CR 3.601 - 10/23/07

 

1. 10/9/2007 CO  Introduced: F,PHS,RCD

 

 

2ND READING AND REREFER

 

 

4.  2007-1095

ORD Approp $2,115 Donated by Greene-Hazel & Associates to the Fire & Rescue Dept for Thermal Imaging Equipmt. (BT 07-191) (McCain) (Req of Mayor)

Public Hearing Pursuant to Chapt 166, F.S. & CR 3.601 - 10/23/07

 

1. 10/9/2007 CO  Introduced: F,PHS

 

2ND READING AND REREFER

 

 

Wayne Reed and Marty Child of R-A-M Professional Group made a brief presentation about their company’s landscape architecture services.  The company is under contract to the City to provide landscape architecture and design services to City agencies on an as-needed basis.  They are produced the landscape plan for San Marco and are working on a gateway design project for the Baymeadows Road/SR 9A interchange.  They offered their firms services to any council members who may be interested in pursuing landscaping projects in their district.

 

Council Member Joost made a PowerPoint presentation about red light camera enforcement.  He noted that the number of traffic fatalities exceeds the number of homicides in Jacksonville each year, so this is a very serious problem.  Red light running is a primary cause of traffic accidents, injuries and fatalities.  Red light enforcement cameras are in use in over 200 cities across the US and in more than 30 foreign countries.  Results vary from city to city, but substantial reductions in red light violations and accidents at the targeted intersections are common.  Research in some cities has shown that use of the cameras at some intersections in a city causes changes in driver behavior and overall reductions in red light running citywide.

 

Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief Mark Richardson stated that Sheriff Rutherford is very much in favor of implementing red light enforcement cameras to increase compliance with existing traffic laws, to reduce accidents, injuries and traffic fatalities, and to free up Sheriff’s officers from traffic enforcement duties to devote their time to other law enforcement priorities.  The Sheriff wants a complete turn-key system installed, maintained and serviced by a private vendor who will be paid from a portion of the proceeds of the citations issued.  Steve Rohan noted that the enforcement will be by means of a civil fine like code enforcement, not a criminal or traffic fine.  Appeals will be handled similar to other City fines, by means of a General Counsel’s Office hearing officer.

 

The members agreed to introduce a resolution in the committee’s name to support adoption of a red light camera enforcement system in Jacksonville.

 

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:06 p.m.

 

 

 

 

Jeff Clements, City Council Research

630-1405