City of Jacksonville

Overview
Our last meeting was held on March 9^th when we heard from Mses. Susan Kelly and Amy Zubaly who spoke on the state of municipal utilities nationwide, the variations in their governance structure and what many were doing to address the impact of the decline in demand due to ever-changing technological advances. It had been our intention to begin to address the proposed changes to the charter but the active engagement of the members regarding their presentation precluded us from doing so.  The lapse in time since then, due to the suspension of Council activities, permitted us the opportunity to “drill down” a bit further so as to achieve two clear objectives. 1) Determine and propose the changes necessary to clearly delineate what powers are afforded to JEA and the manner by which they conduct their business so as to assure the highest level of transparency as possible.  2)  Introduce some “substantive” changes that address six specific issues.

1. The Appointment Process
2. Privatization
3. Procurement
4. Expanded Services (Fiber Optics, Natural Gas Franchise, & Geographic Limitations)
5. Senior Management Contract Limitations
6. Advertising & Promotions Parameters

 
The first item has already been taken up by Council and is slated to be placed on the ballot as a referendum in November.  For the moment the only other proposed item that may have to be put on the ballot for approval by the voters is the newly added Section 21.08 (f) regarding an employee bonus or incentive program which would require Council approval.
 
The Review Process
The work to get us to the point of being able to present a comprehensive review of Article 21 and the proposed changes therein involved a number of Council members, the OGC staff with Lawsikia Hodges and Peggy Sidman sharing the lead, the Auditors office, members of various departments of the City and senior management at JEA.  Attached are two pertinent documents. The first is a redlined version of Article 21 that addresses all the proposed changes, additions and deletions, large and small.  The smaller ones are formatting changes, scrivener corrections and the rearranging of some items to a more appropriate section. The second document is a review of the more significant changes in chart form which provides the following: charter section #; existing language; the proposed change, addition or deletion, and finally the rationale for change - required action.  Depending on the will of the group we may “break out” the review of items 2 through 6 noted above for further exploration and/or explanation. 
 
The desired action item between now and May 11^th is for members (and other stake holders) to review these two documents and direct any questions or concerns to either Mses. Hodges or Sidman so that they can be addressed at the workshop.
 
On May 11^th, we will go through all of the proposed changes to determine 1) where there is consensus, 2) which items require further discussion/explanation, and 3) what is not addressed in the changes proposed that we would like to see included in the omnibus bill that comes out of all of this.  We will also use the time to review and discuss the five (other) substantive changes so as to determine the disposition of the body regarding each and whether or not they should be a part of the omnibus bill or filed separately.
 
Future Workshops
Depending upon the outcome of the May 11 meeting I don’t anticipate we will need any more than one or two workshops to complete our work as to the changes to Article 21.  That said I still have Doug Manson in the queue to make a presentation to the Council and hopefully the members of the JEA board.  Mr. Manson has more than 30 years of experience representing private sector and governments in water, environmental, administrative and governmental law and understands the complexities of technical evidence like hydrogeology and wetland biology. His other specialties within environmental law include water use and surface water permitting, sovereignty of submerged land, ordinary high-water line issues, and regulatory compliance and enforcement issues. The date of that presentation is yet to be determined.
 
 
The Zoom Virtual Meeting will be held on Monday, May 11, 2020, at 11:00 A.M.-1:00 PM, and will be hosted virtually through the Zoom.US- computer application app. In an effort to encourage social distancing and in accordance with Gov. DeSantis’ Executive Order Number 20-69, “Local government bodies may utilize communications media technology, such as telephonic and video conferencing, as provided in section 120.54(5)(b)2., Florida Statutes.” The Council will operate under the provisions of Ordinance 2020-200-E as adopted by the Council on April 6, 2020 hereto attached.
 
The public will be encouraged to share general comments with individual council members by email or telephone. Public hearings and public participation are required by state statute for specific legislation. We will conduct these hearings as required by state law.  CCMeeting05122020@coj.net is the designated email for general comments to be including as a part of this meeting.
 
WAYS FOR THE PUBLIC TO ACCESS THE MEETING:
 

1. Sign up for Zoom.  Type - Zoom.US – with Chrome Internet Browser.  Go to:  JOIN A MEETING On Dash Board Information regarding the Zoom meeting ID and meeting password is listed below:

 
Meeting ID:  925 2661 9463   Meeting Passwords: 975689 .  (You can LISTEN to the meeting and VIEW the meeting this way.
 
ALL PARTICPANTS WHO WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN LEGALLY REQUIRED PUBLIC
 PARTICIPATION MUST LOG IN WITH (It would be helpful to identify bill to be addressed)
              Full Name – IE:  Cheryl L. Brown 2020-0200
 
2.  Watch it on your computer. Streaming site (or COJ streaming site):
 https://www.coj.net/city-council/city-council-meetings-online
 
3.  Joining a Zoom Meeting by phone:    

Dial:  1 646 568 7788 - Meeting ID: 925 2661 9463 # Password: 975689
 
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/ad9VNV3pHM
 
WAYS FOR THE PUBLIC TO PARTICIPATE IN LEGALLY REQUIRED PUBLIC HEARINGS OR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ZOOM MEETING
           
1.  Refer to:  City of Jacksonville Citizen Guide to Council Meetings (Attached)
2.  Legal Name must appear on Zoom to be recognized by the Chair;
3.  DO NOT state your residence- address as this is not required in this forum – only state
      County and Zip Code
4.  Timeframe set by Chairman – No more than 3 minutes per speaker.
5.   The Timer will be viewable.  Must be in “Gallery View” to see countdown; Sort those in
       meeting by going to “Participant” and typing in Timer.
6.   Chairman will “ONLY” call on speakers using the ELECTRONIC “RAISE HAND” feature
       located within the Zoom App.   This feature is found- Click on “Participants” scroll to the bottom
       click on “Raise Hand”… wait to be recognized.  (Must have a Microphone, Video, and Speakers
       to participate with the function.)

INSTRUCTIONS: JOINING A MEETING BY DIAL-IN PHONE ONLY

1. Dial numbers provided above.  If you dial a toll number, your carrier rates will apply.
2. You will be prompted to enter the meeting ID – the  Meeting ID: 925 2661 9463    Meeting Password: 975689
3. If the meeting has not already started and join before host is not enabled, you will be prompted to press # to wait if you are participant.
4. You will be prompted to enter your unique participant ID. This only applies if you have joined on the computer or mobile device or are a panelist in a webinar. Press # to skip.

If you join by computer or mobile device later, you can enter the Participant ID to bind your phone and device session together and show your video when you speak on the phone. To enter your participant ID once you are in the meeting, enter #Participant ID# on your phone.
PHONE CONTROLS FOR DIAL-IN PHONE ONLY PARTICIPANTS
The following commands can be entered via phone tones using your phone's dial pad while in a Zoom meeting:

• *6 - Toggle mute/unmute  (While this is a function that is available the mute and unmute function will be controlled by the Host not the participant. To speak, the participant must use the *9 function to be recognized.)
• *9 - Raise hand  (Electronic Zoom feature that “Must” be used to be recognized by the Chairman to Speak)
• Refer to:  City of Jacksonville Citizen Guide to Council Meetings (Attached)
• Legal Name must appear on Zoom to be recognized by the Chair;
•  DO NOT state your residence- address as this is not required in this forum – only state

County and Zip Code

• Timeframe set by Chairman – No more than 3 minutes per speaker.
• Phone in participate will be informed of remaining time.
• Chairman will “ONLY” recognize or call on speakers using the ELECTRONIC “RAISE HAND” feature   located within the Zoom App  *9 … wait to be recognized.  (Must have a Microphone and Speakers on phone to participate with the function.)

 
4. Look at the digital recording of the meeting later on this website under available archives- City Council click
     link:   https://www.coj.net/city-council/city-council-meetings-online
 
It is important that you use one of the above remote ways to access the meeting; the Mayor has imposed rules on social distancing because of the COVID-19 Virus.  If you have any problems or questions about gaining access to the meeting, please call 904 255 5193 Leave your name number and brief message.
 
 
WAYS FOR THE PUBLIC TO MAKE COMMENTS AT THE MEETING:

1.  You can email your comments to: CCMEETING05122020@COJ.NET

 

2. For some meetings, you will be able to call in to make a comment on the phone.

Many meetings, especially informational ones, may not have public comment. 
  
 
WAYS FOR THE PUBLIC TO PARTICIPATE IN LEGALLY REQUIRED PUBLIC HEARINGS OR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ZOOM MEETING
           
1.  Refer to:  City of Jacksonville Citizen Guide to Council Meetings (Attached)
2.  Legal Name must appear on Zoom to be recognized by the Chair;
3.  DO NOT state your residence- address as this is not required in this forum – only state
      County and Zip Code
4.  Timeframe set by Chairman – No more than 3 minutes per speaker.
5.   The Timer will be viewable.  Must be in “Gallery View” to see countdown; Sort those in
       meeting by going to “Participant” and typing in Timer.
6.   Chairman will “ONLY” call on speakers using the ELECTRONIC “RAISE HAND” feature
       located within the Zoom App.   This feature is found- Click on “Participants” scroll to the bottom
       click on “Raise Hand”… wait to be recognized.  (Must have a Microphone, Video, and Speakers
       to participate with the function.)
 
 
ADA and TDD ASSISTANCE
 
Pursuant to the American with Disabilities Act, accommodations for persons with disabilities are available upon request.  Please allow 1-2 business days’ notification to process; last minute requests will be accepted, but may not be possible to fulfill.  Please contact Disabled Services Division at: V- 904-255-5466, TTY-904-255-5476, or email your request to KaraT@coj.net.
 
 All legislative inquires contact Jessica Matthews, Chief of Legislative Services at 904 255 5169 or JMatthews@coj.net.  Please contact Dr. Cheryl L Brown, Director/Council Secretary at CLBrown@coj.net  904 255 5193 or refer to the information provided with the notice for specific contact information and/or details.