OFFICE OF
THE CITY COUNCIL
117 WEST DUVAL STREET, SUITE 425
4TH FLOOR, CITY HALL
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 32202
904-630-1377
FINANCE
COMMITTEE BUDGET HEARING #3 MINUTES - amended
August 22, 2018
9:00
a.m.
Location: City Council
Chamber, City Hall – St. James Building; 117 West Duval Street,
In attendance:
Council Members Greg Anderson, Joyce Morgan, Lori Boyer, Reggie Gaffney, Bill Gulliford,
Jim Love, Sam Newby
Excused:
Also: Council Members Danny Becton, Terrance Patterson
Freeman, Garret Dennis (arr. 9:05), Matt Schellenberg (arr. 11:29)
Peggy Sidman – Office of General Counsel; Kyle Billy and Brian Parks -
Council Auditor’s Office; Adri Maguire-Segui - Legislative Services Division;
Sam Mousa – Mayor’s Office; Mike Weinstein and Angela Moyer – Finance and
Administration Department
Meeting Convened:
9:01 a.m.
Chairman Anderson convened the meeting and the attendees introduced
themselves for the record.
Page references from this point refer to
Auditor’s Budget Hearing #3 handout.
Tax Collector
Sherry Hall, Chief Administrative Officer of the Tax Collector’s
Office, answered questions from the committee about on-line e-check payments
without any added fees for county transactions, utilization of which is three
times higher now than when a charge was applied for that service. Fees for
state transactions still apply, which aren’t controlled at the local level.
Council Member Boyer invited Ms. Hall to present her enhancement request, which
is for addition of 4 new entry level employees at $147,904 (salaries and
benefits) to restore positions lost to cuts several years ago when budgets were
stressed. CAO Sam Mousa said that the request for 4 new employees was made to
the Mayor’s Budget Review Committee but did not make the final cut for the
proposed budget. He cautioned the committee about adding additional continuing
costs given the possibility of the additional homestead exemption being
approved in the November referendum and costing the City substantial revenue.
Council Member Gulliford thanked Ms. Hall for he performance in the Tax
Collector’s Office over many years. Ms. Hall said that the Tax Collector’s
contract for e-transactions is coming up for renewal shortly and they will be
looking for opportunities to lower costs.
Supervisor of Elections
Motion: on p. 6, approve
the Council Auditor’s recommendation to increase part-time hours by 64,284
hours to 276,600 hours within the Elections activity to more accurately reflect
the number of part-time hours projected to be used in the three elections
scheduled in FY 2018/19. This has no impact on Special Council Contingency – approved unanimously
Motion: on p. 6, recommend
decreasing security guard service by $4,482, salaries overtime by $9,613,
and Medicare Tax by $139 to reflect the savings in security guard
services and library staff overtime in the Supervisor of Election budget that
resulted from the additional Library hours budgeted in FY 2018/19. This will
have a positive impact of $14,234 on Special Council Contingency – approved unanimously
In response to a question from Council Member Dennis about funding for
2 additional early voting sites on college campuses (UNF and Edward Waters
College), Supervisor of Elections Mike Hogan reported that a recent ruling by a
court specifically permitting college campuses to be used for early voting does
not mandate their use but leaves the discretion to the local supervisor. He
said that other counties have used college campuses and seen very little
activity at those sites. Because of demands from the community for college
campus sites, his office proposes to open one site at the Edward Waters College
campus (which already has a regular voting precinct) by purchasing additional
equipment using available federal funds and reallocating some salary funding. While
UNF officials have been very cooperative in discussions about a site there, Mr.
Hogan sees the implementation of a site at UNF as more logistically problematic
although they are still exploring options. He did not need any budget
enhancements to add these two additional sites. He also noted that there is a
lawsuit pending in state court that, if successful, would require all elections
offices statewide to print their ballots in both English and Spanish, which
would add another layer of complexity and cost if mandated to be implemented by
the November election. In response to a question from Council Member Becton,
Robert Phillips of the Supervisor of Elections Office said that the Southeast
Regional and Pablo Creek libraries are the nearest early voting sites to the
UNF campus. Supervisor Hogan said that shuttle buses from the campus to those early
voting site libraries has been discussed.
Clerk of the Courts
In response to a question from Council Member Love, Allison Luker of
the Clerk’s Office said the office does not need any capital improvements for county
functions not already budgeted. In response to a question from Council Member
Gulliford, she said that employee turnover is a problem, largely due to low
starting salaries. Ms. Luker said that the Clerk’s Office has been a passport application
office for the last three years and is seeing good traffic for that function at
its two passport sites (county courthouse and Beaches branch office). Council
Member Love suggested that the Clerk’s Office also become an outlet for Global
Entry Forms, which currently require a drive to Central Florida to the nearest
office.
Courts
In response to a question from Council Member Gulliford, Chief Judge
Mark Mahon reported that the county’s drug court is a national model for
success and recently received a substantial 5-year federal grant to support its
operations. Terry Hanlon, director of the drug court program, said that the
recidivism rate is 11%, which is extremely successful. Referrals to the drug
court are rising substantially due to the opioid crises. The federal grant is
particularly targeted at opioid abuse. Mr. Gulliford invited Ms. Hanlon to be a
regular contributor to the City’s opioid task force. In response to a question
from Council Member Morgan, Chief Judge Mahon described the activities of the
Teen Court. Court Administrator Joe Stelma said that for the last two years the
court has received substantial contributions from a private donor who believes
in the mission of the Teen Court. In response to a question from Council Member
Becton, Chief Judge Mahon said that civil and criminal filings are down
somewhat and generating less fee revenue, and fees on criminal cases are
difficult to collect, although that function is handled by the Clerk of the
Courts, not court administration.
Court Cost Courthouse Trust
No recommendations
Teen Court Programs Trust
No recommendations
Court Costs $65 Fee
No recommendations
Recording Fees Technology
Motion: on p. 17, approve
Council Auditor’s recommendation (a) to add the following items to the judicial
budget using an additional transfer of $261,273 from recording fees technology fund
balance: State Attorney - $54,163 increase in Professional Services, $4,654
increase in Miscellaneous Services and Charges, and $110,909 increase in
Computer Equipment and Software; Public Defender - $52,749 increase in Computer
Equipment and Software; Courts - $39,999 increase in Computer Equipment and
Software – approved unanimously.
Judge Mahon requested an enhancement of $10,509 for purchase of
replacement chairs for the courthouse. Ms. Boyer clarified with the court
administrator that the request is intended to be recurring each year rather
than a one-time allocation.
Public Defender
No recommendations
State Attorney
State Attorney Melissa Nelson said that new and exciting initiatives
are being implemented to improve the climate and environment of the office and
to better serve and protect the public. Juvenile diversion programs are being
emphasized. She noted that Northeast Florida leads the state in drug overdose
deaths and her office is prosecuting drug dealers to the greatest extent
possible and referring drug cases to federal court where appropriate. Ms.
Nelson said that she formed an advisory committee charged with developing a
model for juvenile diversion programs and should be getting that report by the
end of the year. Council Member Gulliford thanked Ms. Nelson for her office’s
vital participation in the work of the opioid task force. In response to a
question from Council Member Gaffney, Ms. Nelson said that the intersection of
mental health issues and law enforcement is perennially troublesome. The City
has very little alternative to incarcerating mentally ill offenders in the
pre-trial detention center. The State Attorney’s Office is consulting with a
judge from South Florida who is an expert in this field. Jacksonville does have
a mental health court that is having success, and referrals to that court are
up by 10% over the past year. Council Member Gaffney suggested greater use of
court-ordered diversion to outpatient treatment programs to relieve the burden
on the jail as a treatment site.
Regarding the State Attorney’s new offices, Ms. Nelson said her staff
is very pleased with the building and has plenty of space for its operations.
She intends to invite the Council to tour the building, which was postponed
last year due to a hurricane. A crime data intelligence center is planned for
the building.
The committee was in recess from 11:00 to 11:14
a.m.
Parks, Recreation and Community Services
Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services Daryl Joseph
answered several questions about revenue sources and trends. Mr. Joseph
described the creation of a new team in his department to provide the capacity
to immediately tackle park maintenance needs as they arise. Council Member
Boyer praised the work of landscape architect Jill Enz of the department who
has provided great service in doing preliminary designs on projects to help get
projects started without the need for hiring design consultants. Ms. Boyer
proposed an enhancement to add one unfunded employee position to possibly be
funded via reallocation later in the year for additional assistance with
in-house design capacity. Mr. Mousa noted that the City used to have
considerable design expertise in-house and eventually decided that contracting
out was a better option to get the proper expertise for each job. He expressed
no opposition to adding an additional unfunded position in the budget.
In response to a question from Council Member Gaffney, Mr. Joseph said
that attendance is up at parks and pools and the department is planning greater
publicity efforts to increase knowledge about and attendance at parks. Mr.
Joseph reported that the department also had the services of a University of Florida
landscape architecture student intern to help with departmental projects last
year and is looking for more in the future. Several committee members expressed
hope that the numerous maintenance and repair projects in their parks could be
accomplished more quickly. In response to a question from Council Member
Morgan, Mr. Joseph explained that different playground equipment is installed
in different parks based on their size, characteristics and uses, and not all
parks get the same equipment. Council Member Boyer asked about possibilities to
maximize the joint use of community centers, senior centers, libraries and
parks so as to get the most use out of existing public facilities by extending
operating hours to serve the greatest possible audience. In response to a
question from Council Member Gulliford, Mr. Joseph said that use of boat ramps
is steadily increasing and parking for vehicles and boat trailers needs
enhancement.
The committee was in recess from 12:00 to 1:15
p.m.
Huguenot Park
In response to a question from Council Member Gulliford, Mr. Joseph
said that there are opportunities for increasing revenue at the park,
particularly if electricity was installed and made available at campsites,
which has been requested by campers. In response to a question from Council
Member Boyer, Mr. Billy reported that there were no year-end fund recaptures
from either Huguenot or Hanna Park in the current fiscal year. Revenues were
down because of closures due to hurricane-related damages; the Huguenot
campground and two picnic pavilions will reopen next weekend after a temporary
road was installed to allow access while the permanent road is still being
rebuilt, due for completion next summer.
Hanna Park
Motion: on p. 28, approve
Council Auditor’s recommendation to eliminate the revenue line of $15,525 for
Surcharges – Misc. and offset with an increase of the same amount in Camper
Rentals – approved unanimously.
Council Member Boyer suggested that since revenues at Hanna Park are
projected to grow by several hundred thousand dollars in FY18-19, this fund
might be able to repay a portion of the General Fund subsidy made to the park
several years ago to help balance its budget. Council Member Gulliford
suggested that historical markers be erected at Hanna Park to commemorate the
area’s very interesting history. Council Members Boyer and Gulliford praised
the concession contractor working at the park for being very proactive and
interested in improving the patron experience.
Cecil Field Commerce Center Recreation Center
No recommendations.
Equestrian Center-NEFL Equestrian Society
Mr. Billy noted an Auditor’s Office concern on p. 32 that the Taye
Brown trust fund balance has decreased substantially over the last few years
and will not be able to sustain its current level of subsidy transfer to the
Equestrian Center beyond this year. Mr. Joseph said that improved operations at
the Equestrian Center by the new management group should help improve revenues
and reduce the subsidy need in the next several years. Mr. Joseph also noted
that a covered show ring at the Center that was expected to open this year and
improve the financial prospects is just getting ready to begin construction and
will be open by the spring. Mr. Mousa said that the private group managing the
Equestrian Center is facing financial difficulties in meeting their current
fiscal year budget.
Planning and Development Department
In response to a question from Council Member Becton, Director Bill
Killingsworth reported that the non-enterprise portions of the departmental
budget are basically flat, but the enterprise function budgets are increasing
with increasing workload. Council Member Boyer noted that the City has hit its
state-mandated acreage cap on the of small scale land use changes for the calendar
year and that new applications are being put on a wait list for processing next year. In response to another question
from Ms. Boyer, Mr. Killingsworth explained the timing of the North Florida
TPO’s next long range transportation plan update and the City’s mobility plan
update that will occur in 2019. The current budget contains funding for the
bicycle/ pedestrian portion of the City’s mobility plan update; the funding for
the roadway update will be in the FY19-20 budget. Ms. Boyer urged the council
members who will be serving on the next council to pay great attention to the
TPO long range planning update which will guide roadway projects for the next
20 years.
Concurrency Management System
Mr. Billy noted an Auditor’s concern on p. 37 regarding the capacity
of this fund to cover annual expenditures into the future. Fund balance has
been transferred to make up deficits in operating expenses but is dwindling and
is projected to not last more than three more years. Mr. Killingsworth
explained that the end of the “fair share” system and concurrency capacity
reservations has led to a decline in revenues in this function. Mr. Mousa
suggested that the mobility fee application cost needs to be increased to cover
the costs of mobility system administration. Council Member Boyer felt that the
fee should be studied in conjunction with the City’s overall fee study and set
at a rate that recoups the necessary costs of operating the system. Mr. Mousa
said that at some point either the fee will need to be increased to keep the
subfund solvent or a General Fund subsidy will be needed. Ms. Boyer said that other
jurisdictions have adopted a deadline for participants in their concurrency
management system to convert to their new mobility management system, and
Jacksonville may wish to do the same.
Building Inspection (Excluding Fire & Rescue)
Mr. Mousa noted that the employee cap is increasing by 15 employees to
deal with the upsurge in workload in the last two years. In response to an
invitation by Council Member Becton, Chief of Building Inspection Tom Goldsbury
explained a new process of assigning two employees to handle quick-turnaround
minor application issues at the customer service counter (i.e. verifying a
previously-reviewed plan that was just missing a document attachment) and
answer to customer questions.
Next meetings
Thursday and Friday, August 23-24.
Outstanding items
·
Non-departmental expenditures - Constitutional gas tax to fiscal agent
·
Sheriff Williams – progress in hiring the 100
new officers, overall employment level, and the deployment of those new
officers
·
Sheriff Williams – red light camera removal
·
Sheriff Williams – false alarm data since the
implementation of the new registration system
·
Clerk of the Courts – collection rate on the
$3 and $65 fees
Special Council Contingency
Brian Parks reported that the Special Council Contingency fund stands
at +$516,075
Enhancement requests
·
AGAPE $150,000 additional funding request
·
Additional funding for Public Service and
Cultural Service grants
·
City Council Legislative Services – additional
Legislative Assistant position ($45,666 salary and benefits, unfunded) for
succession planning – no impact to Special Council Contingency
·
City Council - council member communications
allowance of $2,416 and $2,183 for City hall parking for new council members
·
Increased library hours
·
Tax Collector – 4 new entry level positions at
$147,904 (salaries and benefits)
·
Chief Judge Mahon requested an ongoing enhancement
of $10,905 in Other Equipment Under $1,000 for purchase of replacement chairs
for the courthouse (can this be paid for out of the 1S1 fund?)
·
Parks, Recreation and Community Services – add
one unfunded position
Meeting adjourned: 2:40 p.m.
Minutes: Jeff Clements, Council Research
8.24.18
Posted 8:30 a.m.
Tapes: Finance Budget Hearing #3
– LSD
8.22.18
Materials: Council Auditor’s Budget Meeting #3 handout - LSD
8.22.18