Rules Committee - Oct 05, 2026

and welcome to the Monday, October 5th, 2026 rules meeting. I call the meeting to order. And before I go to introductions on the dice, I would just like to just put a notice out. If you're here for public comment, please fill out a green speaker card so we can have a record of you and be able to make sure you're able to come up and speak. With that, let's go ahead and start to my left with Mr. Dennis with introductions. Good morning. Garrett Dennis, Administration. Colleen Hampsey, Council Research. Carla Schell, Office of General Counsel. Krista Carraher, Council Auditor's Office. Phillip Peterson, Council Auditor. Ken Amar, City Council, District 1. Mike Gay, District 2. Will Lane in District 3. Good morning. Terminal Clark-Murray, District 9. Good morning. Michael Boylan, District 6. Good morning. Nick Howland, At-Large, Group 3. Randy White, District 12, just visiting. All right. Thank you all. And welcome, Council President and former Council President here this morning. Glad to have you all. We'll go ahead and go to public comment. All right. So we'll have, you'll be given three minutes to speak. So when you come up to speak to a item on our agenda, I'll give your name and address. And if you can say address is on file, the first speaker will be Mr. Terry Caldwell. Come on up, sir, and you'll have three minutes. Thank you, Council Members. Yeah. I've seen the video from last month's name and address for the record. Oh, yeah. Terry Caldwell, 3628 Hermitage Road East, 3221, 32277, District 1. Yeah. 7 o'clock this morning, I watched last month's meeting, and it got me going a little bit this morning. And so I didn't know if I wanted to do a rebuttal or to give you an update. So I'm going to cut the update short. Mr. Alejo and essential heating there that was given 30 days to complete the job. Today's 35. They're still not, still not done. It has failed twice since they've tried to put it in. I noticed the first time it failed, it looked like they tried to put a generic compressor in there. They only had two bolts or four bolts bolted down. I looked at it at 5-8-inch copper tubing, which means it was less than a 3 1⁄2 ton. When we have a 4 1⁄2 ton, the actual unit is a 4 ton. But anyway, besides that, I'm getting into the part where one of the council members, I can't remember who, said that this guy was in a volatile situation and was apologizing to him. And, you know, my brother was in the Marine Corps, but he didn't learn how to be a man. And he's pretty much a narcissist. And for the last two years, I've been trying to struggle with that. And that kind of got my PTSD going this morning when I watched that video. I have proof here. And if I can prove one thing that he said is a lie, then everything he says is compromised. And it's the letter he sent to the legal way to cease and desist order. And let's see. Yeah, I'm running out of time. But he says that I ran him and the inspector off the job. That never happened. And also, originally when he went into, when I originally kicked him off the job, we had been arguing over $500 to connect the plenum to the unit they installed. Why didn't you include that in the price? And then the guy shows up and says, I mean, tells his employees, I'm here to collect a check to make sure, a $500 check to make sure it don't bounce. Well, I told Mr. Alero that I had $500 cash. So there was no check. So I said, what the, you know, and this is the work they were doing. So I wasn't planning on doing, I mean, this $500 worth of, you're kidding me, right? And that's why they pulled off the job the first time. And I never said nothing, you know, bad to this guy. All I've ever tried to do is hold him accountable. I could have sued him, but I didn't. You know, I'm trying to hold him accountable. I used to be a businessman and a contractor, and I know what it's like. I mean, I was trying to hold him to standards. All right. Thank you. Next speaker is Pastor Timothy Johnson, Sr. Sorry. Good morning, everybody, President, Councilmembers. I want to speak just real quickly on- Give me the name and address for the record, sir. Pastor Timothy D. Johnson, Sr. Address 613, West Ashley. Thank you. Taxaville, Florida, 32202. Representing District 7, just wanted to speak real quickly on Resolution 2026-0774 on the cultural grants. I want to propose to Mr. Peluso and to the councilor and to the mayor, we need to do something in regards to extending the Emerald Trail a little bit beyond where it's going right now. Brooklyn is being overlooked. You look to the left, Riverside is taken care of. Brooklyn, there's blight everywhere. Even though they've built some pretty lofts, I was working on generational homes in 2017. Some of them did not need to be torn down, but that's neither here nor there. But the blight starts at the back of the lofts and continues all the way around through Mixon Town. We've got to clean it up. I've been begging, pleading, asking. District 7, current, City Councilmember has never even been over there. We're looking for you, Jimmy. You need to come see about your district. It's more than Ponte Vedra, San Marco, and all these other places. It needs some attention. I don't know when the last time any of y'all have went to the right after you crossed the bridge on the Emerald Trail. It's in Dye Street, and I'm asking you to plead with you something. Get that grant. The Red Caps played in Durkeeville. It was an asinine idea. They even think about putting the jail there. This is an historical district. It deserves historical money. It involves the history of this city. Let's get it done. All right, thank you. Next will be Mr. Carnell Oliver, and then after that is Mr. John Nooney. Yes, my name is Carnell Oliver. Address is on file. I'm opposed to the appointment of Allison Galloway Gonzalez because I want to put things from a biblical standpoint in its proper place. The Bible says the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. In the foundation of this country, the very first Civil Rights Act that was established was the 1866. Follow the lesson I'm teaching. 1964 Civil Rights Act came in place. In this country, this state, the local government has been operating underneath the 1964 Civil Rights Act. And the concept, the last shall be first again, on this board and on these commissions, specifically like this. Those that fall underneath the 1866 Civil Rights Act should be the number one class of people that sits on these boards because we have the land right. And I need real white Americans and real black Americans to understand something. We're going to have to come together because the upper class of the immigrant class is destroying this country. And if we don't put things back in its proper place, we will continue to fall. Those that fall underneath the 1964 Civil Rights Act, you know it. You're getting ate on by your very own. You have got to give the power back. And if that means putting American freedom, putting real white Americans on these boards and these commissions to protect our interests, so be it. This is enough. I'm half child talk. And I'm half black American. I have the most power in this country, just like real white Americans. And we're going to have to sit down. And we're going to have to execute a plan to actually get this country back in order. And it starts by reaffecting, restructuring boards and commissions like this that support the interests of people like us. We have the land rights, and we need to take ownership. Thank you. Let me recognize Dr. Salem. And Ms. Councilmember Pittman has joined us. Yes, sir. Go ahead. I apologize for being late. I saw 9 o'clock on my calendar and did not believe it. Is this the now permanent time for rules going forward? Yes, sir. Okay. Yes, sir. Has been? For the whole year. Okay. Then I'll be okay. Thank you. I was just thinking 9.30 for some reason. Glad to have you this morning. Let's, Mr. John J. Nooney, come on down. Hello. I am John J. Nooney, 8356 Baskin Road, Jacksonville, Florida, 3216. I'm the City Council Legislation 2023-0819, City Council District 4, Trust Scott Wilson Park, CPAC 3, the worst CPAC of the six CPACs, School Board, District 3, Cindy Pearson, Charter School, Public School, Amendment 3, Field Trip, Northeast Florida Regional Council Public Park on Pottsburg Creek. It's brilliant. R.D., the real Doge, Ron Davis, AM, 600 WBOB, 6 to 9 a.m., Monday through Friday. Now, I'll be highlighting Agenda Item 47-2026-0780. J.T.A., Attorney General of the State of Florida, James Utmire. I need a yard sign. All right. Agenda Items 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15. Number 18, 2026-0726. That's the Council on Elder Affairs. It's a super appointment. Number 11, 2026-0698, Environmental Protection Board. Don't take away the checks and balances of this fund. Wave code sections 111.755. Number 16, 2026-0722, the Department Park on Pottsburg Creek, Melissa Long, EQD. Agenda Item 29, 2026-0759, Wyatt Bowers is a member of the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida as a consumer for a sixth full term. No term limits there. Someone just needs to ask Wyatt about, you know, kayaking on Hogan's Creek. Agenda Item 34, 2026-0764, the reappointment of Elizabeth Beth Mama Payne as a member of the Health Planning Council of the Northeast Florida Regional Council as a provider. Fourth term, Ms. Payne is the head of the Northeast Florida Regional Council. That's seven counties. Just at about 40-some seconds. Agenda Item 32, 2026-0762. And that's Blake Bass, and we've got 33, 2026-0763, Scooter Bar. They are true blue, true commissioners. All right, Agenda Item 37, 10 to 20 seconds. All right, 2026-0769, declaring the month of October 2026 as a Scouting America Month in Jacks. That's Amendment 3 stuff. That is tourism worldwide, international. And also, I'll be making a donation to 2026-004, 0004. And that's our Parks Trust Fund for scouting. Thank you for listening. All right, thank you. Our next speaker is Jim Emery, and he's just here for questions only, representing the Volunteer Life-Saving Courts. And then our next speaker is Daniel Kersey. I hope I pronounced your last name correctly, sir. Yeah. Good morning. Yeah, you nailed it. Thank you. My name is Daniel Kersey. Good morning. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to the committee today. I'm here on behalf of the—oh, my address is on file. Thank you. I'm here on behalf of the hardworking women and men employed by JEA, who are members of LIUNA 630. Today, you're going to be asked to approve in your rules committee the new collective bargain agreement for these workers. We humbly ask that you support it, and you do. LIUNA and the employer work together to finally reach an agreement. The employees are satisfied with the progress that we've made. We still have some work to do, but we do hope that this committee will approve the agenda item that will be before you today. Thank you so much, and have a great meeting. All right. Thank you, sir, for being down here representing JEA. So, moving on to our agenda, we'll go through our appointments, and then we're going to have a presentation by JTA, and then we'll be taking up Council President Howland's emergency after that. So, just to kind of give an oversight of what we're going to be doing. All right, the first item we'll take up is item, it's on page 4, item number 6, 2026-0517. Can I have a motion on the bill? I've got a motion and a second on the bill. Mr. Julio Alero, would you come on down, sir, and kind of give us an update on where things are at. You heard the public comment, so we'd just like to get all the details before the committee here. Good morning, everybody. Julio Alero, 3756, calling the Cove Trail. So, yes, I heard the comments. I just wanted to establish the compressor was changed on the 29th. The system was running. Now, we are having some issues. I don't know what the issues are yet. I do have, as a matter of fact, this morning I have somebody on site. I got in contact with Mr. Rob and Ms. Cammie Caldwell, and those are the people that I am actually working directly with due to, let's just say, just to avoid any other issues, any outside issues. We want to focus on what the problem is, which the unit is not working. I know Mr. Caldwell was saying about the copper lines are incorrectly sized. Compressor is incorrectly sized. I just want to make sure and make it clear that all the parts that we have gotten were warranty claims through the manufacturer, and the manufacturer were issues. There's plenty of paperwork. There's plenty of receipts and everything like that to demonstrate the fact that we got all these parts from the actual manufacturer. And the promise and the commitment to the Caldwells is to make sure that we keep going until this unit is suffice. It's not about the appointment. It's not about any of that stuff. It's just the fact that we're already putting hands. We're back in this location. We're going to keep working on it until we resolve the issue. So, besides that, I just wanted to make sure I clarified everything. I know that Mr. Caldwell was talking about a plan of work and everything like that. This all was warranty insurance companies' third party. We were a third party to them, and we were contracted. We were contracted to install the unit. So, we end up installing the unit. Yes, we had some issues along the way, especially with the compressor replacement. But I want to make sure that we are all clear that I'm not trying to deceive anybody. I'm just trying to be very clear. We're changing. We're replacing. We're doing what we need to be doing. I'm going to keep going until I resolve the issue. Right. I don't have any. Thank you, sir. I don't have any speakers. Okay. Councilman Amaro. Thank you, Mr. Chair. You said something that the parts that you've installed, they came directly from the manufacturer per, I guess, the filing of a claim warranty. Here's my question. They came directly from the manufacturer, but are they the correct part? Yes, sir. Yes, we actually had it confirmed with Mr. Rob Caldwell and, you know, making sure that because the claim, I understand that, you know, the family, Caldwell, is having some internal issues, and that is okay. I'm not trying to, like, put more wood into this fire. Right. All I'm doing, I'm just trying to take care of just business. So, Mr. Terry Caldwell, he brought up to their attention that this is a two-ton compressor, and this is a four-ton unit. I did call Lennox. Lennox is the manufacturer for this unit, and I put it on speakers so Mr. Rob Caldwell can go ahead and listen as well because they shared with me about the concern that Mr. Terry had. And then we were able to just confirm that that is exactly what is supposed to be in that unit. All right. Thank you. Let me go to Dr. Salem. One more. Oh, I'm sorry. So, just for clarity, sir, what is left to be done to provide air conditioning service in this household so that this can get behind you? Absolutely. Why? I mean, you're trying to get appointed, and this is a significant stumbling block. So, I'll be honest with you, I mean, after just this process alone, whether the appointment, you know, whether you guys approve the appointment or not, that this unit is, this issue is going to get resolved regardless. Now, what's left in this unit, I'll be honest with you, I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with it because once we installed everything, that we replaced the compressor, that crankcase heater, as well as the length of copper, that it was five-eighths, now it's seven-eighths, and there was a capacitor also replaced. Now, we did get a call from, or a message from Ms. Cammie Caldwell yesterday letting us know that there was, the unit was not working, and we need to, you know, to come out and take a look at it. We said there was no problem. We'll come out. We'll take a look at it. You know, as we were sitting there, I was listening to, you know, everybody that was coming through. I was taking a look at those pictures. Seems like all pressures and everything are correct. I don't know what is wrong with the unit yet. Once I'm on site, I'll be able to diagnose it. Now, let's also, in this mechanical world, unfortunately, there could be other issues, too. There could be other issues that could be happening that it's outside of the original scope, and that is okay, you know, because we're willing to work with it and to figure out what's wrong with it, but I couldn't tell you exactly what is wrong with it. Everything that is supposed to be in place, it's in place. Everything that it was, it was, when I left on Friday, I was, everything was working fine. There was no issues. I'm sorry, the 29th, whichever day that was, Thursday or Friday. All right. Let me go to Dr. Salem. Thank you, Chair. Council Member, Chair, you kind of led the charge on this at the last time we heard this. This is outside of my scope of expertise, to say the least. Are you satisfied today that you're prepared to move this forward? To answer your question, to move it forward, yes, I'm going to move it forward. Okay. Meaning the bill's in front of us. Correct. Correct. So, I'm not going to defer it. We've had 30 days to see a resolution on this, so that, I'm not sure what you're wanting me to answer. Well, are you satisfied that this gentleman has done everything he can to get this air conditioning working so that he could be placed on this board? Okay, so to answer that topic, my concerns are 30 days to get this resolved. We look at day 28, day 29 to try to do a resolution. I've got emails from Mr. Dennis saying that everything was resolved. The same day I get emails from the family saying that a two-ton compressor has been put in place with a four-ton, not working again. And so, I just don't see that issue getting resolved as far as the 30-day period that we sit here and establish for a resolution. So, unfortunately, this committee is being put in a position of being a construction trade review board, and that's really not the posture. We're looking at the individual that can come in and be competent, that can sit in this position to govern other contractors, and that's where this kind of puts concerns on it for me. Would it be more appropriate, I'm throwing this out, that he come back when this is totally resolved versus putting an artificial time point of 30 days? And I can let Mr. Dennis weigh in on that as well. That period of time is to be determined if that's the avenue that's chosen. Maybe at some point in time that when there are no issues and there's a little more seasoning that's taking place, that he could possibly be put in this capacity. But right now, I'm not comfortable, and I will not be supporting him in this position. May I continue? Through the chair to Mr. Dennis, I mean, this gentleman appears like he's working to resolve this, four ton, two ton. I mean, are we better off just deferring it until we are 100% convinced the issue's been resolved, where we can bring him back and vote it up? Through the chair to Councilman Salem, on Thursday or Friday, he sent an email with the resolution of the equipment and his customer. Now, today, you know, he's saying that he got a call from the customer saying that there are issues. One of the things that we noticed in his letter to us last week is that, at the end of the day, he has gone through a lot of reputation damaging of his business. And, you know, to keep coming up here and back and forth with the customer's son, you know, I do think it's probably appropriate to not move forward with it and allow him to fix the issue and when everything is resolved and not, you know, mess up the reputation of his company through this process. So we haven't had opportunity because, again, as of Friday, everything was fixed. But, you know, I would like you all to ask the nominee, does he want to, you know, continue through? The administration is very comfortable with not moving forward with this because of his company's reputation, which he stated it in his email on Friday. So I hope that answers your question. Go ahead, Dr. Salem. I would like to move an indefinite deferral until the issue is completely resolved and then he can come back where he's not coming back every 30 days or something. I think that's to his benefit. I'm trying to help him. Absolutely. And so that you're not coming back and you have ample time to resolve it. And so when you do come back, it's hopefully it's a fairly, fairly, or it'll be a slam dunk, I hope, when you do come back. If there's a second. We've got a motion and a second on a deferral. Ms. Schell, can you make sure we're in the right posture on this? Sure. The motion on the table is to defer it. It'll appear, it'll continue to appear on your committee agenda as defer, and each committee cycle you'll have to announce that it's being deferred. But that's ready to vote in. All right. Thank you. Let me go through the queue here on the, Council Member Bullen, on the deferral. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think I've served on the Rules Committee perhaps all eight years I've been on the council. Never once have we had a situation where an incident was put in place. The whole focus is on the qualifications and the ability of this person to serve in this position. His tenacity in this process tells me that he is, and given his background, as we learned at the notice meeting, he does qualify to serve on this board. So I will support the deferral, but I hope we don't create this as a habit or as a practice that we look at given situations as making a determination as to whether or not an individual is qualified to serve on a board. Thank you, Mr. Chair. All right. Let me go to Council President Holland. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm just intrigued to know if you're going to support the deferral now as chair because a minute ago you said you'd rather go up and down on it. Simply because this construction trades qualifying board is up your alley, you're intimately familiar with the situation, so I wanted to see your thoughts. Right. Thank you, sir. So, you know, I'm open and to listen to what the desire of the committee is, but I also want to poise the question is what Mr. Dennis had mentioned about the ongoing, I guess, scrutiny of the business to where if it's deferral and it keeps staying on the agenda, that it's still going to be lingering to where if it's just done as a withdrawal and then come back at another point in time to reintroduce, I think that would probably be a cleaner pathway. So your thoughts on that, Mr. Dennis? Through the chair to the committee. Again, you know, one of the things that our appointee, our nominee, express is the reputation that this process has done to his business, which I totally agree, because in your notice meeting, it was asked if he had any other issues, and there were no other issues. Your other colleague, Councilman Carlucci, Matt Carlucci said, you know, if you're in business, you're going to have one customer that no matter what you do, you're not going to be able to satisfy. The administration, you know, we support our nominee, but again, you know, it's a decision, and I hadn't had an opportunity to talk to our nominee to see if he wants to move forward with the new issues that arose last night. So through the chair, I would like, if someone would ask him, how does he feel about moving forward? But we support him, we support him, you know, when we introduce the bill for his placement on the Construction Trade Qualifying Board. All right, thank you. Let me, Ms. Shell, real quick, go ahead. The one other, through the chair to the committee, the one other thing you may wish to consider is potentially withdrawing this bill and allowing the administration some time to work with the appointee, and when they feel it's ready to bring it forward again in another form, just an option. All right, thank you. Let me go to Ms. Clark-Murray for the first time. Thank you, Chair, and good morning again to everyone. So I'm going to echo the sentiments of Council Member Boylan, because our goal here is to look at the qualifications. So I'm looking at the board qualifications. I'm assuming that three journeymen, craftsmen, or master's certificate is what you already have, and that you're filling a particular role on the board, and that you have been engaged in the trade for at least a period, not less than three consecutive years. So that's the qualifications. And once again, Council Member Carlucci, Matt Carlucci, made a poignant statement the last time we met, is that when you're in business, you're going to have someone who's not satisfied. But clearly, this gentleman is doing his very best to satisfy the customer. Additionally, my question through the chair to Mr. Dennis is, if we defer or withdraw this particular appointment candidate, will it interfere with the business of the board? Through the chair to Council Member Clark Murray, it will not interfere with the business of the board. Thank you so much for that. Thank you, Chair. Thank you. Let me go to Ms. Pittman for the first time. Mr. Willman, thank you for addressing those questions, because that's what I was going to ask. But I'd like to know from you, at this point in time, I know you came here hoping that you, we would vote on this today, either up or down, being that we've had the discussion. How do you feel at this point going forward? Do you want to go forward, or would you like for us to withdraw? I'll be very honest with you. I think this process has been very brutal overall. I mean, I think there's a lot of time spent. I understand, like, no customers are going to be happy. This particular one is definitely not happy. I am working with the rest of the family to make them happy. Maybe, like, not the full family will be happy, but at least some of them will be. My sentiments are, they're not very encouraging, just because this process of a volunteering position to serve the city has been very rough. Like I said, I used to be in the Navy. I stood in a lot in front of, a lot of people are getting yelled at. And, you know, it's just the nature of the business. But this, I think, has hit a little bit different just because I don't just look out for myself. But, of course, I have a business to look out for. You know, this is bringing a lot of negative feedback. And a lot of constructive, too. Let's not just take everything, you know, let's take the positive that comes out of everything. So, you know, the constructive thing is, like, you know, obviously making sure that maybe they have some legal things in place so I'm able to at least help my business or protect my business. You know, I do want to make sure also that you guys understand that I know that there's a lot of accusations that come up saying that I have done some things or not done some things. And, you know, there's a story on every side. And, you know, it's like perhaps I'm not spending minutes or hours or I don't have something drawn out to present to you to excuse myself for some of those things. But please know that just because I don't do it is because I want to keep things professional, focus on what the problem is, which is the unit is not working and we need to fix it. I would just like to say, you know, it's very hard to find individuals who want to give back and be servants. If we're looking just at the qualifications, I think we should look at the qualification. We all have people who don't like us, even as council members, you know, but that doesn't stop us from serving the community. And I just would hate setting a precedence when people in our community would like to serve our community and we send them through so much scrutiny that they decide that they don't want to do it. I don't know all the circumstances of your situation, but people deserve a chance if they want to serve. And so, unfortunately, I'm sorry that you had to go through all of this and I wish it was a little bit different. But I think when we're doing the background on individuals, we need to find maybe just dig a little bit deeper. And, you know, he came here for one thing and it ended up being something else. So all I'm saying is going forward, either we look at the credentials and if there's other things that we need to put that in writing before individuals are interested in serving. Thank you. Let me go to Councilman Amaro. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to speak to the deferral for 10 seconds. Basically, as I said here, my interpretation of the motion is not necessarily a negative position against the applicant, but more or less to say maybe he is a good applicant and maybe we need time to resolve whatever issues there are. The issue of qualifications is fine, but the reality is that someone serving in that capacity must also meet a threshold of ethics. And if you're going into the position with a cloud over your head, there's a question. So the intangible part is the ethics of the individual, and that's what we're talking about here. If this one issue questions the ethics, then is that person prepared to serve? I don't know about you all, but I believe a good name is better than precious ointment. And I believe that when it comes to your name, you do everything to protect your name. You do everything to clear your name. And I think that's what a deferral does. It doesn't harm the applicant. It doesn't injure the process. It just takes it to the next level that doesn't fit into the definition of qualifications, and that is the ethics of the individual. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Okay. So no other speakers in the queue on the motion for deferral. We've got a motion and a second. So all in favor of the deferral, say aye. None opposed. So we'll go ahead and defer this until a resolution is potentially reached. And I guess Mr. Dennis, you'll reach back out to us, and hopefully we can get some resolution on this to get it put to bed. One, I would just like to add, you know, this position is actually a governing position where you are approving license holders. And so there's a point of life safety. There's a point of governance that we've got to have individuals that are beyond any kind of reproach. And so this, normally an applicant, I wouldn't even question it, but this applicant, I started receiving information about concerns and from code enforcement and different things. And so, and that's what this committee is about. We've got to do the deep dive in to make sure we get the right people in the right place. And so, and I'll just leave that there. So item number 2026-0517 is deferred. Thank you, Mr. Laro. Thank you. For being here. All right. The next item, 17 on page 11, 2026-0725. Can I get a motion on the bill? Second. I've got a motion and a second on the bill. Mr. Leroy C. Kelly, come on down. And if you would to just give a little bit of your heart's desire to serve on a member of the Taxation, Revenue, and Utilization Expenditures, the true commission. Yes. My name is Leroy C. Kelly, 8443 Finch Avenue, East Jacksonville, Florida, 32219. Just go ahead and give us a little bit of your desire. Oh, okay. I'm a part of the CPAC committee, District 5, and our previous appointee had, term limits has called her to be, to have to come off the board, the true commission. And as a result, they voted me in to become a part of that commission. This is my second go around. I've served on it in the past. And I've come back to serve once more and again. All right. Thank you. I've got Council Member Clark Murray in the queue. Thank you, Chair. Good morning, Pastor Kelly. You doing okay today? Good morning. Good morning, sir. I have known Pastor Kelly, or Mr. Kelly, for quite some time, in particular, when I served on the Northwest CPAC. And so I know that he's faithful. I know that he is personable. I know that he will present the information to the CPAC and vice versa, bring the information to the true commission. So I want to co-sponsor this particular appointee, and with that, I hope you all approve him. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Let me go to Council Member Pittman. Good morning, Mr. Kelly. Good morning. You just mentioned that you served on the committee before. Yes. I guess it's been how long ago? Oh. It was prior to the appointee that's coming off now. I think it's about four or five years ago. Okay. So what did you like, by serving on the committee, I know you want to come back. So what is it that you did as a member of that committee? What did I do? Yes, sir. Well, as a part of the committee, I reviewed all the information that came before us and scrutinized the activity that we had to look at and help come to a resolution just to what direction we should be going. Well, thank you. I'd just also like to echo what you said, Councilwoman. Pastor Kelly is very involved in the community and very vocal. And if it's not right, he's going to let you know how he feels. So we thank you for your interest in serving our committee on that committee as well as on the CPAC. Thank you. Thank you. All right. No other speakers in the queue. Let's open the ballot and record your vote. Eight yays, zero nays. All right. By your action, you've approved 2026-0725. So, Mr. Kelly, if you want to be here Tuesday night, the next council meeting will, after the vote, we'll announce your name and welcome you to the service in the city. And thank you for all you do, sir. Okay. And thank you to the committee. And thanks to the committee. But you don't have to be here. It's just if you want to be here. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. All right. The next item, number 18-2026-0726. Get your motion on the bill. I've got a motion to second on the bills. Is Danette J. Henderson Hernandez here. Come on down. And if you would, just give a brief description of your desire to serve on the Council of Elder Affairs. Good morning, Chairman, members of the Rules Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. My name is Danette Hernandez, and I'm seeking appointment with the Council on Elder Affairs because I believe Jacksonville seniors deserve clear communication, responsive support, and strong advocacy for those who serve them. My commitment to this work comes from years of hands-on experience supporting elderly veterans and older adults in crisis. As chairman of the Veterans Council of Duval County and a former state commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, I've seen firsthand how easily seniors can become isolated by transportation barriers, food insecurity, unsafe housing, or systems that are too complex to navigate alone. Those experiences shape my belief that compassion must be paired with action. In my professional role as a credentialing specialist, I credentialed multiple physicians, nurse practitioners, and physicians assistants across 11 local hospitals, work that required organization, attention to detail, and the ability to move through complex processes without losing sight of the people who depend on them. I bring those same skills to my advocacy, listening carefully, engaging stakeholders directly, and following through until a problem is solved. More importantly, I believe a servant will bring a servant leadership approach. I've sat with seniors who felt forgotten, and I have worked until they received the help they needed. If appointed, I will meet Jacksonville's elderly where they are, ensure their concerns are heard, and help strengthen the communication and outreach that connects them to vital resources. I am ready to collaborate with this council, support the city's priorities, and help ensure that no senior in Jacksonville feels invisible or unsupported. Thank you for your time and consideration. All right. Thank you. Let me go to Council President Howland. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Danny Hernandez is a good friend. She's a veteran advocate for veterans all across Northeast Florida, and she's a recent nominee to the Florida Veteran Hall of Fame. And Danny Hernandez cares about our community, and she has my full endorsement. Thank you, sir. All right. Thank you. Let me go to Council Member Amaro. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. President took the words out of my mouth. Danny, as she is now, thank you for putting yourself forward. From what I've seen in my short encounter with you is that you truly have a servant's heart for service, and it's well known within the veterans community, and I'm pretty sure you'll serve with the elderly community 100%. So thank you. All right. Thank you. Council Member Landon. Thank you, Chair. Please add me as a co-sponsor. And, again, nothing new from me. I was just going to say I feel like whenever I go to a veterans event, chances are Ms. Hernandez is there supporting our veterans community, so looking forward to her serving in this role as well. Good to see you this morning, ma'am. All right. Thank you. Please add me as a co-sponsor as well. No other speakers in the queue. Open the ballot and record your vote. Eight yays, zero nays. By your action, you're approved. Twenty-twenty-six-zero-seven-two-six. And Council President. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for letting me speak real quick. It's not about Danny or the next recommendation. It's about item number 47. Unfortunately, I have to leave. Item number 47 is the emergency. I'm not asking you to take that up now. The nominees have a preference. But if I can, if it's proper posture, I'd just like to say a few things to leave when you do end up taking it. Okay. It's the JTA bill. JTA asked me about three weeks ago if we could do an emergency in and out of this bill on budget night. And because that would have been a long discussion and it was budget night, I asked them if we could please just do a one-cycle emergency. They agreed, and we put it through all four committees to make sure that everyone got a chance to see this bill and vote on it today. Because it will, if it passes, will go into effect at the full council vote on the 13th. And one thing that they also brought this bill through the administration who did something very prudent, and I agreed with them. It went from just being able to open up LOGT to help pay off their line of credit to making it a loan so they can pay off their line of credit and then get a no-interest loan and they pay back. So it's not like we're using the LOGT as a taxpayer bailout instead. JTA will have to refill that loan or that LOGT so it can be used for completion projects and mobility and transit projects as planned. So all of that came into play. One thing I asked them, you'll see today, neighborhoods will see it, TEU will see it, and finance will see it, is they're going to present about a short 15-minute overview of the forecast for how they got to the fiscal year 25-26 number, which just finished, as we all know, last week, and the budget that we approved, 26-27, how they're going to achieve it. So I imagine Cleveland and Randall will come up and share that detail. I'll be watching from afar, but I won't be here. So I just wanted to give that background. I'm really pleased with JTA that they were amenable to doing a one cycle instead of in and out, and I'm really happy that they're going to present the data on the forecast for the year just passed and the data on the budget for the year we just entered here before we get to vote. Thank you. All right. Thank you. All right. I'd like to add to Ms. Hernandez, Tuesday night we will read your names out after the vote and recognize you. So if you would like to be here, please come and attend, and we appreciate your service. All right. The next item will be item number 21, 2026-0729. I've got a motion and a second. On the bill is Liz McDonald here. All right. Give us a little bit of your desire to serve on the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville. Good morning, Council, and thank you so much, Mr. Chair. It is my pleasure to stand before you and ask for this appointment for the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville Board. Before I managed James Weldon Johnson Park as the executive director of Friends of James Weldon Johnson Park, I was a theatrical producer in New York City, and I produced such shows as Jekyll and Hyde and worked on shows such as Seussical the Musical and Rent. And those shows not only performed in New York City but also toured throughout the country, including Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks Amphitheater, and including Jacksonville Performing Arts Center. And after about two decades of producing theater in New York City, I thought, you know, the daily grind here in New York is getting pretty rough. I want to go to a place where I know I can enjoy, and that was Jacksonville. I called up my friends that were managing SMG and said, hey, can I move here? And they first appointed me the director of the Jacksonville Performing Arts Center and the Ritz Theater Museum. So I've been here in Jacksonville since 2013 and working alongside the local arts community, and I really appreciate this place and this town. And given the fact that I have a commercial background in theater production, I do think that I've come from a unique perspective of arts as an economic driver. And that's what I hope to impart as a board member of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, just how important it is for the arts and culture scene in Jacksonville to grow and thrive. Thank you so much. If you would, give your name and address for the record. I am Liz McDonald, 1520 Alfred Place, apartment 216, 32207. Thank you. Let me go to Council Member Bolin. Thank you, Chair. Through the Chair, Ms. McDonald, what's your familiarity with the Cultural Council in its role? And have you had an interface with Ms. Donovan at all as part of your nomination? I sure have. So in my time at the Jacksonville Performing Arts Center, I started out with Bob White, who, of course, was the original director of the Cultural Council and have worked with every single executive director since. Diana Donovan has been on the board of the Friends of James Weldon Johnson Park. So she and I are very close. And we, of course, work together. I was also one of the grant. I helped the grants that were for the individual artist grants. And I was one of the coaches for that event. So I was deeply involved in that process. And I was also recognized by Diana Donovan and the Cultural Council during 2021 for all of the efforts that I had at James Weldon Johnson Park, where we employ about 700 local creatives every year and privately fund about $100,000 to local artists every year. All right. Thank you. Let me go to Councilmember Pittman. Good morning, Liz. First of all, I'm so excited for you to even consider being on the Cultural Council. I would tell you all I have watched Liz over the years put different events together, and probably most of their entertainers that have come through the James Weldon Johnson Park are also probably recipients of the Cultural Council. And the group has been very diverse over the years. She is a hard worker. She's going to make sure from the beginning to the end that it's going to be done right. So I think she would definitely be fresh of breath air as well to the Cultural Council because of her background and what she brings. So I would ask you all to consider supporting her as well. All right. Thank you. Ms. Clark-Murray, did you good? Okay. No other speakers in the queue. Let's open the ballot and record your vote. Vote again. All right. Please vote again. Seven yays. Zero nays. All right. By your action, you've approved 2026-0729, and you're welcome to come Tuesday night after the vote. You'll be recognized, and we appreciate your service. Thank you. Thank you so much. All right. The next item that we'll go to is item number 22-2026-0730. Can I get a motion on the bill? Second. I've got a motion and a second on the bill. It's Mr. Christopher, Dr. Christopher Destoppo. Yeah, that's it. All right. Everyone struggles with that. Give a little bit of your desire to serve on the member of the Opioid, Substance, and Use Disorders Committee. Yeah, so Chris DiStefano, 12925 Hunt Club Road, District 3. I reached out to Councilman Lannan and discussed my healthcare professional background. I'm a physician in the community right now, volunteering, and I have 10 years of experience with reviewing grants and writing grants in healthcare. And Councilman Lannan introduced me to Dr. Joshi, who said there was an opening on the Opioid Use Disorder Commission, and I felt like that was a very good fit for some of my skill sets. And I've gone to one of the meetings and know many of the organizations that are receiving funding. So I do very much wish to be on the committee and commission and work with others on it. So I appreciate consideration of my nomination. Thank you. Let me go to Councilmember Lannan. Thank you, Chair. And through the Chair, Dr. Destoppo, I thank you for coming forward and to the committee. He is my neighbor, but he had reached out to me a few months ago. I think he's not quite saying just how accomplished he is. He has his doctorate from Mayo, and he's actually a Jacksonville native as well, so very accomplished in his profession. So I hope everyone will support this. Just another great example of someone from the community reaching out and willing to put their profession to good use on a volunteer board. All right. Thank you. Let me go to Councilmember Morrow. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Dr. Steph. Can I call you that? D-Stuff or D-Stefano. Dr. D. Listen, thank you for putting yourself forward and for responding to my questions. I am extremely confident that whatever you bring to the board will be of significant benefit to not just the board but the community it serves. So thank you for putting yourself forward. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Now let me go to Dr. Salem. Thank you, Chair. Dr. D-Stefano. I think I said that correctly. Welcome. Many of us worked very hard to get this committee established, to get the money into the government a few years ago, and it's been now working for now for two to three years, doing a lot of good work out there. So I am the liaison to that committee. Try to attend all the meetings because it's very important to me. So welcome, and we're going to put you to work very quickly. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Very good. No other speakers in the queue. Let's open the ballot and record your vote. Seven yays, zero nays. By your action, you're approved 2026-0730. So, Dr. Steph, if you want to come Tuesday night, we'll announce your name after you're voted on, and we appreciate your service to the city. So thank you for being here. Thank you very much. Next item, number 23, 2026-0731. Get a motion on the bill. Move the bill. Second. I got a motion and a second on the bill. It's Alex Savar here. All right. Come on down, Mr. Savar, and give a little bit of your desire to serve on the JHA. Good morning, through the chair. Good morning to all the board members, I mean, council members. My name is Alex Savar, and my address is on the record. When the mayor's office asked me to move from my existing volunteer work at the Public Service Grants Commission, I took this as a compliment. I said this is something I'm very passionate about, affordable housing, safe housing, and the housing for all those who cannot afford, because in the Public Service Grants, we deal with the most vulnerable population of Jacksonville, and I'm very happy to be considered for this, and I'll do all my best to serve on this council, on this board, and Councilman Boylan, Councilman Lane, and both of them know me from the Public Service Grants Commission. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Let me go to Councilmember Boylan. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Please add, first of all, please add me as a co-sponsor. Alex is a friend, number one, but as a liaison for the PSG Council, I saw him actively be engaged in that process, chairing one of the committees, as a matter of fact, and I think his addition and transfer from the PSG Council to the JHA, again, where I serve as a liaison, I'm looking forward to his participation. I know he's going to be every much engaged there as he was with the PSG. Thank you. All right. Thank you. No other speaker than the queue. Let's open a ballot and record your vote. Seven yays, zero nays. All right. By your action, you're approved. 2026-0731. And Mr. Savar will announce your name Tuesday at the council meeting after the vote, and you're welcome to be here. It's not required, but you're welcome to be here to be recognized. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. All right. Next item, number 24, 2026-0732. Okay. I've got a motion and a second on the bill. Is Sean Turker here? Come on down and give a little bit of the desire to serve as the public on the PSG. Good morning, Chair, and members of the Rules Committee. My name is Sean Turker. Try to speak a little bit closer to the microphone. I'm honored to be considered for appointment to the Public Service Grant Commission. I was born in Turkey and have been proud to call Jacksonville home for 38 years. I met my wife here, and together we raised our two daughters in this community. I earned my undergraduate degree for computer science and master's degree in health informatics from Jacksonville University. For the last 32 years, I have worked as an IT professional for Mayo Clinic. Over that time, I've seen Mayo Clinic grow from Davis Building and several single-wide trailers to organization it is today. That experience has taught me the importance of responsibility, stewardship, careful decision-making, and long-term commitment. If appointed, I'll bring my life experience, education, professional background, and commitment to service to this commission. I will approach each decision with fairness, transparency, respect, and focus on helping the people of Jacksonville. Thank you for your consideration. All right. Thank you. I don't have any speakers in the queue. Let's open the ballot and record your vote. Seven yays, zero nays. By your action, approved 2026-0732. And Mr. Turker as well, Tuesday night, it's not required, but you can be here and we'll recognize you after the vote. So thank you for your service next Tuesday. Right. Not this Tuesday, but next Tuesday at the council meeting. Thank you. Council Member Landon. All right. So that takes us to the item 47. I'm not going to move it yet. I'm going to go ahead and have JTA come up to do their 15-minute presentation and then we'll take action on the bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, Cleveland, Ferguson, JTA. Just want to reiterate what the council president articulated just before he left. Our board has endorsed this bill, I think, on behalf of the board and the staff of the JTA, the mayor and the city council for considering this opportunity. These are funds that we have collected since 2021 in partnership with the city of Jacksonville in the context of the LOGT2 legislation and intergovernmental agreement. And as this team continues to stabilize today to restore tomorrow, this is a key piece of our ability to start FY27 closer to where we need to be in order to meet the responsibilities of the budget. So without further ado, I'm going to bring up our CFO, Randall Barnes, who will take you through the presentation. Good morning. Randall Barnes, Chief Financial Officer for the JTA. Thank you for the opportunity to go over this presentation with you. I'm going to give a little overview of what happened in fiscal year 26 and the generation of the fiscal year 27 budget. Just talk about some of the details of that. So the JTA board approved its fiscal year 26 budget back in May of 2025. Fiscal year in 25 results showed sales tax revenues were down about $8.3 million under budget, continuing a trend from the prior year and we had a total shortfall of $19 million in fiscal year 25. Even with the smaller budget in fiscal year 26, first quarter of fiscal year 26 showed a continued softening of sales tax revenues. In addition, there were continued cost pressures. Connection Plus costs were not budgeted due to expected service cuts. Those cuts did not ultimately take place. And also we had costs for Navi and Skyway that were higher than expected. So in February of fiscal year 26, the staff recommended amending the budget with the JTA board to address the projected revenue shortfall. This slide gives a quick overview of the fiscal year 26 budget amendment that the board approved in February. The drivers were lower expectations for sales tax revenues and interest earnings as well as passenger fares, making a total shortfall of about $14.2 million. So in order to balance the budget at that time, operating expense cuts were focused on staffing costs and services. So there were reductions in force, employee furloughs were planned, and also there were professional service contracts that were planned to be cut. So ultimately, the budget amendment addressed the expected revenue shortfall, but it was not sufficient to address the full cost to provide services. This slide shows an overview of the reporting that took place during fiscal year 26. At the top of the page were reports that we provided to the city of Jacksonville. Those were quarterly reports that we provide. And then below that are the reports to the JTA board of directors. In Q1 and Q2 reports to COJ, JTA reported year-to-date deficits, but staff projected to end the year flat. Fiscal year-end projections in Q1 can be challenging no matter where you are, but there should have been more informed projections made at Q2. Ultimately, the projections to city council were flat. I think that was a result of expectation that the amendment that was put in place was going to take care of the issues, but that ultimately did not happen. Q3 projections painted a more realistic picture. So we shared a projection of $32.8 million by fiscal year-end with the council auditors in the city. To the board, prior to that, we had shared actual results of $25.2 million. We don't typically or historically haven't provided projections to the board. That's something that will change here soon. But there's a discrepancy there. The council auditors actually pointed out to us that we had been characterizing the, by mistake, the local option gas tax reporting. So we had budgeted on a net basis and were showing in our reports to the, in our reports to the board, gross actuals. They didn't take into account the expected debt service. So we made that correction in our July and August board reports and obviously it's corrected in the June 2026 quarterly report to the city. Currently, we're still projecting a shortfall for fiscal year-end 26 of about $39 million. So we will need to make an amendment to the 26 budget once the numbers are all in and we can come through the council to do that. So overall, fiscal year 26, the budget was ultimately flawed. There were optimistic revenue projections and unsupported costs to provide service levels. The budget amendment in February fixed the revenue shortfall but cost reductions were insufficient. Staff recommended in the JTA board approve route changes and fare modifications during the year. Those were planned to be implemented in fiscal year 27 and are being implemented. There were various financial reporting issues, errors, lack of rigor and variance analysis and fiscal year-end projections. Those weren't helpful for informing decision makers, both staff and the board. Insufficient revenues led to the depletion of reserve balances and a significant buildup of payables. And then a line of credit was authorized to provide liquidity support which was used to cover pass-through invoices and give JTA time to make necessary adjustments. Amidst leadership changes, deliberate action was taken in September 2026 to ensure costs were supported by available revenues in the new fiscal year and restore JTA's financial health. The fiscal year 27 budget was approved by the board earlier this year and it was approved at $139.2 million and ultimately approved by the city council last month. During the budget hearing process, the council auditor's office indicated the revenue assumptions seemed reasonable but had a large number of comments about the expense assumptions. We as staff performed a comprehensive review of existing cost commitments and confirmed that the ability to proceed without implementing significant cost-cutting measures was impossible. So the actions that we took over the last few weeks were specifically designed to ensure we were able to stay within the $139.2 million budget and that includes allowance for the debt service of approximately $1.5 million per year on the line of credit and a very small contingency to allow for unexpected costs or lower than expected revenues. Any surplus in 27 will be used to reduce the line of credit or rebuild reserve levels. So what actions did we take? We are cutting professional service contracts and making planned service changes worth about $24.9 million this fiscal year this fiscal year 27. We have put in place reductions in force of approximately 200 employees through November 1st already meant the departure of 33 administrative folks and 26 operators. Skyway passenger service ends November 1st and NAVI runs through December 31st we are pausing service not abandoning the assets and our team will keep maintaining them and we will begin running a modified Saturday schedule beginning November 2nd and paratransit service will not change. So there are you know as with any budget some risks if there are lower than expected revenues that's something we would have to deal with we actually believe that the tax revenue assumptions are conservative so we don't think that's a large risk there is a risk that passenger fare revenue may be impacted due to the service changes but they should be somewhat offset by the planned fare increase in January which wasn't considered in the original fiscal year 27 budget. Also there could be higher than expected expenditures we believe we believe the recent actions were sufficient to stay under the budget for fiscal year 27. We have placed systematic budget controls starting October 1st to ensure spending cannot happen without available budget that's something that we did not have last year. We are also implementing a business services unit reporting to me that will control and coordinate all financial related activities within each division so that includes contracting payments, budget tracking, variance analysis and reporting. So management and JTA board will have the accurate and timely financial information necessary to take swift action to mitigate the risk of missing the 27 budget and this bill provides additional headway to help mitigate either risk. So just quickly wanted to go over this bill. What it does do is allow GATA to borrow up to 30 million of LOGT 2 funds to pay down the line of credit currently 25 million or for other eligible expenditures. The current balance of the funds is approximately 47 million and the funds are currently restricted to the LOGT 2 projects. JTA will pay back the balance of the amount borrowed without interest by September 30th 2037. This helps JTA avoid approximately 3 million of interest expense over the next two years or more if JTA needed to renew the line when it expires in two years for a longer period of time. This gives JTA more time to pay back the amount borrowed and provides more flexibility into the line of credit to manage cash flows. What it does not do is change or delay existing projects or inhibit future discussions about the LOGT 2 revenues or project plans. That concludes our presentation. We are happy to take any questions you might have. Thank you. Let me go to Councilmember Landon. Thank you, Chair, and through the Chair, Mr. Barnes. Thank you for the presentation. Thank you for the honesty because a lot of the words we saw in there were things that we've been saying up here for a while. In fact, I pulled it up. I asked my first question about JTA's finances on January 5th, and it was because of our council auditors who have been pointing it out for months now. Their exact wording was the financial report of the JTA, the financial report of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority for the 12 months ending September 30th, 2025, indicates budgetary stress for JTA. So that's what kind of got a lot of our questions going very early on in the year. And I've said that my biggest concern was just the, I think there was just bad budgeting. It was a bad budget put together. It kind of surprises me that your board does not get projections because projections are way more important than actuals for most corporations. So I was surprised to see that, and that's a good practice going forward. But as far as we're at now, one question I have for you through the chair, Mr. Barnes, if I followed the presentation correctly, you are now with the changes you've made, you're at a balanced budget. In other words, the chances of having a slight surplus are the same as having a slight deficit by the end of the year. Is that correct? Through the chair to Councilmember Alain, that's correct. We have taken action to get us in a posture to where we should have a balanced budget. Through the chair, thank you for that, Mr. Barnes. That gives me comfort in that you won't be coming back and asking for another $30 million chunk. So we've had a lot of conversations. I understand the mechanism of how we're going to use this money now, and it's a loan from LOGT to go back to LOGT. We don't have to change any projects. What are the next steps when it comes to discussing that project list? And I know it's going to take all sides involved on that, because I know there is a lot of will on this Council to re-look at that list based on what was approved then versus what we think our priorities may be now. Thank you. Through the chair to Council Member Landon, I'll take a stab at that, and Cleveland can fill in if he thinks otherwise. But we are undergoing the finance audit and oversight committee. I think our second meeting is Friday. I think there's going to be a lot of discussion about that particular topic at those meetings, and then we'll just move forward and work with the council and the mayor's office to do those things. Through the chair, thank you for that, Mr. Barnes. I'll support the legislation today. I think this is step one. I know Dr. Salem and a few others are going to be on this committee, and it's really about, okay, this is essentially the band-aid in my mind, and then there's more things to fix in the future. Thank you, Mr. Barnes, as always, for this information. All right, thank you. Let's go to Dr. Salem. Thank you, Chair. Councilman Landon's hitting home runs as he usually does. I have a few questions because I was here in 2021 when this was passed, and my recollection, and I looked at my notes over the weekend, is that we had buckets of money for transportation projects, Navi-related projects, and the Emerald Trail. Is that correct? That's correct. There are definitely projects, through the chair to Council Member Salem, there are definitely projects with expenditures attached to the legislation. legislation, it's a listing of projects with expenditures. But those dollars, and this gets to the core of my question, those dollars were assigned for each one of those three things, correct? I'll defer to Jessica, it looks like. I'm not sure that they're necessarily assigned, but these are estimates of those projects. So I guess my question is, and obviously we'll start getting into this on Friday, but it sounds like money was moved around between those priorities. Is that a fair statement? Through the chair to Council Member Salem, I'm not sure that's a great characterization of that. I think these projects are scheduled in coordination with the partners that we work with, the board, and with the council in mind. And so the timing of these projects are scheduled out, and there weren't dollars that were shifted from one to the other, or vice versa. We just have a certain amount of money that is coming in over a long period of time to complete these projects. But, Dr. Salem, if you would, now that we did the presentation, I need to go ahead and get the bill moved, and then we can get into the discussions, and I'll come right back to you. Okay. All right. I've got a motion and second on the bill, on the emergency. I'll get a motion. I need to move the emergency. I've got a motion and second on the emergency. Ms. Carrer, or Mr. Peterson. Hey, through the chair to the committee, the nature of the emergency is a consideration of this ordinance over a regular legislative cycle would have consumed a material portion of the limited term of the authorization in which JTA is seeking, and would frustrate that purpose. In addition, each cycle of delay could save them additional carrying costs as it relates to the interest payments. All right. Thank you. Any speakers on the emergency? None. All right. All in favor of the emergency, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Likewise, none. Emergency carries. Can I get a motion and second on the amendment? The amendment. I've got a motion and second on the amendment. Ms. Carrer, or Mr. Peterson? Through the chair to the committee, the amendment was very technical in nature, first filling in the blanks as it relates to the ordinance number and dates as it applies to the agreement and then JTA's board action, I believe it was last week. Clarifying that JTA operational funds, which is a term used in the agreement and the bill that's not defined, is referring to anything that's non-LOGT2 related. And then also striking language regarding the expiration of the first amendment in the ordinance and the agreement. There's a sunset date by which JTA has the authorization to move forward with the up to 30 million, but the first amendment will remain in place past that sunset date, so we just want to get that clarified. Any speakers on the amendment? Ms. Pittman? Okay, no speakers on the amendment? Okay, go ahead, Ms. Murray. Thank you, Chair, for indulging me. Through the chair to Mr. Peterson, is your office, considering the fact that, and we said it almost every year since I've been on council, that JTA would always come back and ask for some additional funding, always. So, I'm looking at the bullet that says JTA shall report on the outstanding balance annually. Do we want to make that more often than annually? Through the chair to Councilmember Clark-Murray. So, assuming this passes, and assuming they take down some portion of the up to $30 million, they have to repay that $30 million by September 30th of 2037. So, essentially 11 years. Yes. They have to report to the city and multiple agencies within the city in the first year how much they want to take down, what they're going to pay for, and then they also have to reflect that in the, I believe it's in the quarterly summary document that they provide to council. After that, it's on an annual basis, how they are doing in paying that back. So, once that, they have one year to take those dollars down through September 30th of 27. And then every year in March or by March, every year thereafter, they have to report how they are paying back, if they have paid back any of the amount that they have taken down. So, on a quarterly basis, I don't know that there's going to be much change from quarter to quarter. So, I think the annual is adequate because I do expect the big payback to happen at the end of the year when they know whether or not they're in a surplus or not from their normal operations. Right. Thank you for that. So, to make sure that I'm understanding, it's not just this annual report, but there are also quarterly reports that they have to present in order to make sure that the money is being used and give us updates in regards to what is happening with the funds. Through the charity council member Clark Murray, the quarterly reports are during the first year in which they have the authorization to use these dollars. After September 30th of 27, so essentially a year from now, they no longer can draw down on these LOGT2 funds. So, that quarterly reporting is only in that first year and thereafter it turns to the annual reporting on how they are doing and paying it back. Thank you. Thank you, Chair. All right. Thank you. Ms. Pittman, I see you got in the queue. Are you on the amendment? Okay. All right. So, no other speakers on the amendment. All in favor of the amendment, say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Likewise. None. The amendment carries. Can you get a motion second on the bill as an emergency as amended? Second. I've got a motion and a second on the bill as emergency as amended and let me go back to Dr. Salem. Thank you, Chair. And maybe we'll get into this starting on Friday, but I'm trying to understand when you've got multiple priorities and your dollars are dwindling, who's making decisions on which of those projects is going forward? The example I'll give you, during the spring, Duval Doge, we had the CEO here a couple different times on Navi. We all saw the ridership and the dwindling ridership and we asked questions about it and it was, but we had no idea of the financial situation. This is what bothers me. And we were told UF is going to come on board at this end and on the other end, the stadium and the hotels were going to come on and Mosh was going to be there. And, you know, at some point we were going to have all sorts of people traveling as this thing, but we had no idea of the financial situation that we were in or I think the council would have taken much, much more significant action than we did. We believed what we were told. And in hindsight, it was a, I think we, we, we made a good decision based on what we knew at the time. So that that's just frustrating, very frustrating to me that we're sitting here today, but let me just ask a couple other questions. The loan, is there any provision that says that the loan, a percentage of it has to be paid back each year? Could they pay $30 million in the 11th year back through the chair to Mr. Peterson, through the chair to council member Salem, I do not recall, and I'm skimming it right now that any portion as to any percentage has to be packed, be paid back annually. It's just, they have to pay back the entirety by that September 30th of 2037 date. Okay. So essentially they could wait several years if they wanted to before starting to pay that back. And there's no interest on that loan, correct? Through the chair, that's correct. Okay. I just want to make sure that's on the table and maybe done intentionally that way. Reserve levels very quickly. I see your, your, uh, operations are usually around 130, 140 million under good times. What, what was in your reserve account through the chair to council member Salem. So the board has set aside a transit operating reserve, a target of 20% of operating revenues. So 20% of, you know, 140 is what we should have. And yeah, that's got to be built back, obviously. Absolutely. Okay. Thank you, chair. All right. Thank you. Let me go to council member Amaro. Thank you, Mr. Chair to Mr. Barnes. I have two questions and, and somewhat of a commentary, if you will. I, um, I remember when I was in college, I took accounting one, two, and three and didn't get past managerial accounting. So I'm not the budget guy, but what I find disappointing in your presentation this morning is that this entity of this size had a budget guy that obviously were making wrong assumptions for an expert base, as you pointed out, on gross versus net. As Councilman Lane pointed out, no projections, things of that nature. And I know the horse is out the barn, and you look back, and you probably ask, how did we get here? And my question is, who is this guy? Why is he not being held accountable? He's probably been fired. Here are my questions. Number one, I heard you said there's a fair increase in January. My question is, how much is that going to be, and how is that going to help to close the gap? That's my first question. The other question was this 10, 11 decade-long payback. Is it realistic to have that completed, or in 10 years when no one is here, that there's going to be an ask for an extension? I'm going to, through the chair, to Councilmember Amaro, I'm going to answer the first question related to the fares, or at least partially answer that. Yes, ma'am. So, earlier this year, we went out to the community. Name and address. I'm sorry? Name and address. Oh, Jessica Shepler, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, 100, La Villa Center Drive. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Through the chair to Councilmember Amaro, earlier this year, we went out to the community and had eight public meetings related to both service changes and proposed fare changes. We are looking at fare changes based on the fact that we have not had a fare change since 2019, and before that it was 2012. So, that fare is going to go from $1.75 right now to $2 on our fixed bus route. And then we have some of our other passes will change accordingly. But that just basic fare level will be $0.25 to $2. Through the chair. Is that going to be sufficient? Are you going to have to come back and ask for something else? The reason I'm asking is the reality is the affordability piece, where the cost of doing business has gone up. Your buses, the cost of energy to operate the buses, even with the reduction in force, there's still an increase in costs. Looking back now is $0.25 a realistic number to get you to where you need to be. Through the chair to Councilmember Amaro, the fare increase, passenger fares are a very small portion of our budget, less than 10%. So, the fare increase isn't going to make the difference. The actions that we took this last month are the things that are going to make the difference. I mentioned the fare increase earlier because of the changes in schedule, we could result in lower passenger numbers, ridership, lower ridership. So, we didn't consider the fare increase that we put in place in the creation of the fiscal year 27 budget, and this could help offset some of that, but some of the lower ridership that we might see. Thank you, Mr. Barnes. Through to chair, I'm going to support it because using the firefighting analogy from Mr. White over there, if you see a building on fire and you don't pour water on it, then the building burns down. We've got to do something to stop the hemorrhaging, if you will, and I believe that this is one approach. My concern is the list of projects that this will be paying for. I guess those are going to be delayed and pushed back out. I don't know. I mean, but I'm going to support it because I think it's the responsible thing to do. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Let me go to Council Member Clark-Murray. Thank you, Chair. Good morning again, Mr. Barnes. I just have two, one, maybe two questions. So you mentioned in the presentation, it was mentioned that you are deciding which plan services to change. What metric are you using to determine which service changes you're making? So basically, how are you going to determine which bus services or which bus routes you are going to stop, combine? How are you determining that? For my district, I know that buses are essential. I pass by 10 people at the bus stop on my way here. Go ahead. Through the chair to Council Member Clark-Murray, during the eight meetings that Ms. Schepler articulated, we took a look at the routes that are most productive and most needed. Routes one, eight, 10, 14, those are our heaviest written routes, for example. And so we are looking at reducing the time frequency of the least productive routes to ensure that none of our most productive routes have time more than 30 minutes. So we are ensuring that this entire enterprise, if it's $139 million in terms of what it's going to cost, that that's got to focus on the most productive routes for the customers who need us most. And so you have that commitment from this team. That is what we presented to our board. That is what we will be communicating from October 1 to November 1 so that everyone understands that those are the routes that we're focused on so that we can ensure that whatever sales taxes that are coming in, whatever LOGT taxes that are coming in, which are our primary revenue sources, are used for those fixed route services. Thank you for that. I'll leave it at that, too. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Let me go to Council Member Pittman. Mr. Cleveland, thank you so much for seeing that because I was very concerned, and for Ms. Shepler as well, I had an opportunity to attend a couple of those community meetings, and my concern is to make sure that we're getting the message out to the ridership, especially the buses. And also, you all had a program that would take residents to the grocery stores and the inner city. Is that one of the programs that are being considered a decrease in ridership or support? Through the chair to Council Member Pittman, the door-to-store program is still active, and so that is not being cut. Okay. And in terms of marketing, I think you mentioned about $0.25 in terms of increase. Yes, ma'am. So through the chair to Council Member Pittman, so those conversations were had through those eight public meetings that we've already had during the summer. That $0.25 increase will not occur until January. So we really wanted to make sure that we spent this entire Q1 making sure that everybody's aware of what those cost increases are for those fares. But in addition, in terms of the changes that we've made over the last three weeks from October 1 to November 1 is when we're going back out to the community to let them know what the service changes look like. Okay. I know a lot of people did not probably come to some of the meetings, probably more the riders than individuals just who are involved in the community. Would there be any type of signage on the buses as people get on the bus and utilize that they will know that from a marketing standpoint and what their budget can take in terms of the increase? Through the chair to Council Member Pittman, yes. You said yes? Yes. Okay. All right. Thank you. All right. Thank you. I have no other speakers in the queue. I'd just like to ask a few questions myself. In the presentation in the finance committee, I mean, it's kind of was eye-opening for me to finally get some of the details and it just, when you mess with lines of credit and all that, that's just life preservers that you're trying to throw out there to keep afloat here. My concern is you're $139 million on your budget, but what is, with the analysis that you all have done, how will you all pay this back? To the chair, yes, it's going to take some time for us to pay this back. We're going to have to, we've already put in place these actions that we took over the last month. I think that's going to give us some leeway, but it's going to take some time for us to pay this back and build back our reserves. Right. And just, you know, in a scenario of going to a bank to get a loan, the applicant would have to show some kind of ability to pay this back. And it's, we're not really seeing any of that. And so that's where there's a real big, uncomfortable level of moving forward with this. But, you know, we're poised with that. But then we're also poised with so many businesses depend on these bus services of getting the people to the jobs that they need. And so many people depend on these buses. And that's a big concern to me. When we start reducing the routes, and I understand the increase, that's explainable, that's doable. But just the, of what JTA has always done, has always been successful, and we've moved away from that. And now the solution is to start cutting the services that is what JTA is about. And so that's where I want to see us to get back to. I'll support this for now. But there's just a lot of uncomfortable X factors that are not filled in, that if you was going to a bank to try to get this loan, any normal business would just be turned down. And so that's my concerns on that. And just a 20% reserve, the reporting. I don't know if, you know, y'all said something about quarterly reporting. I mean, monthly intern financial statements, something that we can get to our auditors. And, you know, we depend on our auditors to give us that comfort level of what's going on. So I think there's, we've still got to navigate getting reporting and getting actual data. That's going to be critical. So with that, no other speakers are in the queue. Let's open a ballot and record your vote. Seven yays, zero nays. By your action, you approve 2026-0780 as an emergency and amended. All right. Thank you all for being here. Next committee, we're going to go to item 14 on page 10 for Council Member White. But wait, make sure I got that right. Item 14, 2026-07-05. I've got a motion and a second on the bill. No speakers in the queue. Open the ballot and record your vote. Seven yays, zero nays. By your action, we approve 2026-07-05. And thank you, Council Member White, for enduring with us this morning. All right. Now we get to go back to the beginning of our agenda. Item number one, 2024-0966 is deferred. At the request, Council Member Kerr Coe. Item number two, 2026-0192 is deferred. At the request of Council President Howland. Item number three, 2026-0203 is deferred. At the request of Council President Howland. Item number four, 2026-0227 is deferred. At the request of Council Member Diamond. Item number five, 2026-0320 is deferred. At the request of Council Member White. And item number six, we've already taken action on. Item number seven, 2026-0662. Get a motion on the bill. I've got a motion and a second on the bill. No speakers in the queue. Open the ballot. Record your vote. Seven yays, zero nays. By your action, you approve 2026-0662. Item number eight, 2026-0672 is deferred. At the request of Council Member Pittman. Item number nine, 2026-0677 is deferred. At the request of Council Member Matt Carlucci. Item number 10, 2026-0687 is deferred. At the request of the administration. Item number 11, 2026-0698. Get a motion on the amendment. I've got a motion and a second on the amendment. Ms. Carriher. Through the chair to the committee, the amendment will update the fiscal year for the appropriation to 2627 and remove the carryover language that's not needed. We'll remove the Section 118-107 waiver and related affidavits since this is not a city grant. This is a contract for services. We'll correct a scrivener's error within the bill and place a revised agreement on file to include the missing exhibits and update the payment and completion date to October. All righty. Thank you. No speakers on the amendment. All in favor of the amendment, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Likewise. None. The amendment carries. Get a motion and a second on the bill as amended. I've got a motion and a second on the bill as amended. Ms. Clark Murray, you're recognized. Thank you. Mr. Richardson? Hey, good morning to you as you come down. So this is for the 19th annual report. Has there ever been any desire by your board to make it, request legislation so that you're able to do this, create the report without having to come before us? Through the chair, good morning, James Richardson with the Environmental Protection Board. The board has authorized, if you will, the funding of the report since its inception. Probably about five or six years ago, I was asked to speak with the administration to see if they would consider funding the report, given the importance to the community. The administration at that time said no, we've had conversations with the current administration. It is being considered for next budget, depending on a lot of variables. But I think we're in a favorable position with the administration for the city, if you will, to take on the funding of the state of the river report. All right. Thank you for that, Mr. Richardson. Thank you, Chair. All right. Thank you. No other speakers in the queue. I've got a motion and a second on the bill as amended. Open the ballot and record your vote. Seven yays, zero nays. By your action, approved 2026-0698. Next item, number 12, 2026-07-02. Get a motion on the amendment. I've got a motion and a second on the amendment. Ms. Carraher. Through the chair to the committee, the amendment will add a reference to the bill to the application that was submitted for this honorary street name designation that was included in the on-file agreement. We'll clarify the code waivers are needed because the honoree for this designation is a group and not an individual, and we'll correct some scrivener's errors within the bill. All right. No speakers on the amendment. All in favor of the amendment, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Likewise. None. The amendment carries. Got a motion and a second on the bill as amended. Aye. I've got a motion and a second on the bill as amended. No speakers in the queue. Let's open a ballot and record your vote. Seven yays, zero nays. By your action, approved 2026-07-02 as amended. Next item, number 13, 2026-07-04. Can a motion on the bill? No second. I've got a motion and a second on the bill. No speakers in the queue. Let's open a ballot and record your vote. Seven yays, zero nays. By your action, approved 2026-07-04. Thank JEA workers for being here today and appreciate all y'all do for the city. Next item, 14. We've already taken action. Item number 15, 2026-07-09. Got a motion on the bill. I've got a motion and a second on the bill. Councilman Landon, you're recognized. Thank you, Chair, and through the chair to the committee. I've already co-sponsored this, and really, if you sat with us through the finance hearings this summer, that's the biggest reason I'm supporting this, because there were just times that it was nearly impossible to have five instead of four members, and I'm sure it's going to inevitably come up in different meetings as well with other standing committees. So, I think that when this bill came out, I paid attention to some other portions of it, and not necessarily the four verse five part, but I hope, Councilmember Boylan, that you're okay with this as well, because I do think returning it to the four just gives us more flexibility while still having a majority of council members present at their assigned committee meetings. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Jarrett. You might well expect I cannot support this bill today, and I appreciate it, and I'm almost amused in the board, in the bill. Summary, it mentions justification as to improve committee meeting efficiency. We're not about efficiency. We're about a comprehensive evaluation, and quite honestly, I think we accommodated your concern with the prior bill when we modified it to say if there were two excused absences at the committee level, four would be the quorum necessary. I think five is important. I heard time and time again from colleagues when people talked about walking away from votes. We know where that happens. It doesn't happen in neighborhoods. It doesn't happen in rules. It doesn't happen in finance. It happens one place, largely. And we've got to take on and maintain the responsibilities we have to serve our constituents. I wasn't going to tell the story, but I'm going to tell the story. Back when I ran for re-election four years ago, I made the unwise decision attending a debate or a panel of where I was the only incumbent on the panel. I probably shouldn't have been there because I heard time and time again about collusion and corruption about the council. This kind of bill allows our colleagues to step away from difficult votes, and that should not be the case. So I was comfortable with going to four when there were six with two excused absences. I'm not comfortable in going to four when there are seven members or even six members available to these meetings. So I can't support this today, and I think it's a bad message to send out there saying we are sacrificing our comprehensive responsibility for the sake of efficiency of a meeting. Thank you. Let me go to Dr. Salem. I appreciate his comments. Thank you, Chair. People are going to walk if they want to walk. I mean, it just happens. I've been on this council seven-plus years, never walked out, never avoided a vote. But one of those votes about got me killed, where I needed police protection. I think most of you guys know what that vote was. So I don't know that you're ever going to stop that. So I'm going to support it. I think four is enough. Thank you. All right. Thank you. I would just like to add that, you know, seeing what we went through in finance and having to, in some other meetings, having to wait for some to be here, circumstances arise. And I think the intent and the nature and the spirit of the attendance of the committees is generally good, and that's what we're all here to behold to. And so this lets the business of the city move forward while somebody's late or somebody had a circumstance that they were unable to be here. And so that's why I went ahead and moved this bill, presented this bill. So with that, let's open the ballot and record your vote. Five yays, two nays. All right. By your action, you're approved. 2026-07-09. Item number 16, 2026-07-22, get a motion on amendment. I got a motion and a second on amendment. Ms. Carraher. Through the chair to the committee, the amendment will strike the change that was proposed to Code Section 23802, which is the qualifications for the Environmental Quality Division chief. The bill, as filed, struck the requirement for this division chief to have a bachelor's degree or higher in working with employee services. It was determined that that should remain in the code because this chief is also required to be a professional engineer, which in turn requires the college degree. So that would need to remain in the code. We'll correct some scriveners' errors within the bill. And lastly, attach a revised Exhibit 1, which is the org chart, to remove the Jacksonville Sports Foundation from the org chart since this is not a city board or commission. Right. No speakers on the amendment. All in favor of the amendment, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Likewise. None. The amendment carries. Got a motion. Second on the bill as amended. I've got a motion and a second on the bill as amended. Council Member Landon, you're recognized. Thank you, Chair. Through the chair to Mr. Dennis, I'll support this, but it's still a vacant position, correct? Through the chair to Council Member Landon, I'm going to have Kayla O'Leary, the deputy CEO to come up and discuss that, or Leah Hayes, because, again, this has moved from an office to a department. So I think there are going to be some follow-up legislation, but they can speak to it. Thank you. Kelly O'Leary, mayor's office. Through the chair to Council Member Landon. The current position that sits within the code is underfilled right now. We are changing this position to a director, and then we will appoint somebody at that particular time. Thank you, Chair. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Let me go to Council Member Bolin. Ms. O'Leary, if you come back to the point for a second. In the bill, in the summary specifically, it states that it has no fiscal impact. Yet you're changing from a manner position to a director position. So I assume the salary of a director is going to be different than the salary of a manager. Can you talk about the differentiation in the salary for this position from what? Yeah. Through the chair to Council Member Bolin, the current position has a pay range, and so it's already budgeted at that amount. We will not be increasing the pay range in any way, so it won't have a budgetary impact. So the director position will be within that same pay range. Thank you. Thank you. Let me go to Dr. Salem. Thank you, Chair. For y'all that don't remember, the administration, when I was president, came to and wanted two new departments. We compromised with a department and an office at that time, this being the office, and they are now coming forward to change the one we compromised on to a department head, which is their right to do that. Mike, and one of the, so, but I did not understand your comment about the existing person and what you're planning to do for the appointment. Can you re-explain that for me, Ms. O'Leary, through the chair? Yeah, through the chair to Councilman Salem. Currently, it's the, it's a manager position. We have it underfilled. We are changing it to a director, and at that point, once it's changed to a director, we will come forth with a new appointment. The requirement for the director still is a college degree. Is that correct? We have language in this bill that also includes in lieu of, and that is, is actually in line with Senate Bill 1310, which prohibits public employers from requiring degrees and allows you to add in experience in lieu of degree. Okay. In this bill, you have that language. Correct. Just for this particular department head. Correct. Not the rest of the department heads. Not the rest, but we would come back at a, at a later time if deemed necessary. I'm sorry, say that again? Through the chair to Councilman Salem, we would come back at a later time, um, to address that. I'm, I'm, I'm just not comfortable with, uh, the lack of a college degree. It may be just me, but I think our department heads ought to have a college degree, and, um, it's, it's a minimum requirement. So, um, I'm going to vote against the bill. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Let me go to Council Member Lannan. Thank you, Chair. Through the chair, uh, Dr. Salem gave me another question. If I followed right, the experience in lieu of is a, uh, a state statute, right? Correct. Okay. So through the chair to, thank you, Mr. Leary. So through the chair to Dr. Salem, I think we have to make it say that is my understanding, the in lieu of language, that that is not something that we can legislate ourselves. So through the chair to Mr. Leary, is that correct? Through the chair. That's my understanding. That's my understanding. Uh, through the chair, uh, Ms. Schell, could you, uh, chime in on that question? Through the chair to Council Member Lannan. I did not work on this legislation at all. If you give me two minutes, I can look it up and verify. Through the chair to Ms. Schell. Well, thank you. And I think the question is, well, clarification on, do we have to have the new language that says in lieu of on every director, pretty much every job posting? It sounds like we may. And then my second question through the chair to Ms. O'Leary, I guess I'm stuck on the word underfilled. I've never heard that term before regarding a job. Uh, if you could just elaborate what underfilled means. Okay. Leah Hayes, Director of Employee Services. Uh, so when we have a position, you can actually, it could be, um, let's just say it's a solid waste truck driver senior. I'm going to try to make this simple. Um, when we, if we don't have someone that meets that requirement of a senior solid waste truck driver, we can underfill it with just a solid waste truck driver. So you're underfilling it at a lower level. So through the chair to Ms. Hayes, someone is there doing the job just below the current job requirements of the job listing. Is that correct? Okay. That's a new one to me, but thank you for clarifying that HR definition. Um, and if I may, I would like just to point out, we do have, uh, one other director that does have, uh, accept commensurate training and experience, and that's the fire director. Okay. Let me go to, uh, Dr. Salem. So many things coming up. First of all, in lieu of define that for me, what does that mean? Through the chair, sorry, through the chair to councilman Salem in lieu of would be, you would have the commensurate amount of experience in lieu of a bachelor's degree. Okay. But what is that one year? It would be defined within the job description. Define it. Do we have a job description? Yes. What does it say? Through the chair? I'm sorry. All these are through the chair. Go ahead. Go ahead. It states within the, um, it states within the, um, legislation and at least five years of progressively responsible executive level experience. Okay. I guess I'm, I'm concerned about the fact that we're doing this for one and leaving the rest of them as they are. It would seem to me that if this Senate bill is there, that we ought to have a debate on all of our department heads. I mean, I don't think we want a engineer. I mean, I don't think we want someone running public works that does not have an engineering degree or something like that. I mean, this is a broader debate than this bill, in my opinion. Michelle, have you found anything yet? I don't mean to, to push you. Okay. If, if, if I may. Yes, go ahead. Can I address that, um, through the chair to Councilman Salem? Um, it specifically states that if you have to have a, a certification such as a professional engineer, then the, the, the degree would be required. And so there's language that addresses those circumstances. In the case of public works, I see what you're referring to. Yes. And, and same with, um, EQD, um, when you're looking at, uh, traffic engineering, if there's a professional certification requirement that requires a degree, that would have to happen. Um, let me go back to the, the fire situation. Uh, when we confirmed the fire chief, he did not have a college degree. I don't, I don't know that that's the case. I think within the, um, code it says, or commiserate experience. Within the code it says that. For that particular position. Correct. And it's always said that, it sounds like. That's nothing new. No. Okay. I think we all understand what the plan is here. And I have no, no issue with the person. But I do have an issue that getting away from college degrees for department heads within the consolidated city of Jacksonville. And I, I think we're doing something here for an individual that's not good for the government itself. And that bothers me that, that we're not having that debate separately. We ought to have a debate separately about college degrees and department heads, which ones, et cetera, and not do this piecemeal. That's, that, that's my feeling. Um, whether, uh, that meant, I'm not necessarily suggesting this be deferred, but that's, that's one way of doing it. But, uh, I, I'm just uncomfortable with all of this. All right, uh, let me go ahead to Ms. Schell. Thank you. Through the chair to the committee. So the, the Senate bill that Ms. O'Leary referenced amended section 112-219 of Florida statutes. And it reads that the head of a public employer may elect to substitute verifiable related work experience in lieu of post-secondary education. May. All right, thank you. Let me go to Councilman Boylan. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, Ms. O'Leary, it seemed that Councilman Salem alluded to, and this is an open position, correct, presently? Or is there someone in the manager position we are looking to promote to a director position? And who is that person? Through the chair to Councilman Boylan. Currently, it's the manager of, um, the Office of Administrative Services manager. Uh, Al Ferraro is in that position. It's being underfilled. Through this legislation, we'd like to make that position a director position. All right, thank you. And then we would appoint accordingly. Thank you. Right. So no, uh, no other speakers in the queue. Um, Ms. O'Leary, you, you've kind of heard some of the, uh, concerns. Is there a, a, uh, need to, to move this, uh, right, right away, or would y'all be open to setting, setting down and let's have in a notice meeting to discuss, uh, the, the questions and the concerns, uh, uh, that, that's, that's been raised? So are you asking, do we want to defer it until we can have some further conversations? Yes, ma'am. If, if that's the will of the chair, um, we'd be willing to defer it. It's not an emergency. And I, I think the, the, in, the intent, uh, of what y'all are trying to do, I understand that, and I understand, um, counsel, counsel, Dr. Salem's concerns here, and I would like to be able to make sure we get some, uh, guardrails in place to, uh, have some more definitive, uh, uh, direction on this to where it just, it just doesn't go, uh, random, different, different directions. Uh, so I, I, it's not that I don't support this legislation. I just want to get more clarity on that. So I'd be willing to have a, a, a notice meeting on that, Dr. Salem and administration to where we could, uh, move on that. So, uh, if y'all are fine with that, I would, I'm going to defer it and let, let's have that notice meeting and, and get all this ironed out moving forward. So thank, thank you. So item number 16, 20, 26, 0, 7, 2, 2 is deferred. All right. Item number 17, we've already taken action. 18, we've taken action. And that takes us to item number 19, 20, 26, 0, 7, 2, 7. Get a motion on the bill. I've got a motion, a second on the bill. No speakers in the queue. Open the ballot and record your vote. Seven yays, zero nays. By your action, you're approved, 20, 26, 0, 7, 2, 7. Next item number 20, 20, 26, 0, 7, 2, 8. Can I get a motion on the bill? I've got a motion and a second on the bill. Those are Ms. Clark Murray's in the queue. You're recognized. Thank you. So just a quick question. When it's a reappointment, the person does not need to appear. Is that the, the case? Correct. All right. Thank you for that. Thank you. No other speakers in the queue. Open the ballot and record your vote. Seven yays, zero nays. By your action, you're approved, 20, 26, 0, 7, 2, 8. Item number 21, we've taken action. 22, we've taken action. 23, we've taken action. 24, we've taken action. Item number 25, 20, 26, 0, 7, 3, 3 is deferred. And that takes us to the next items that are on second reading. Item 26, 2026, 0, 7, 5, 2. 2026, 0, 7, 5, 6. 2026, 0, 7, 5, 8. 2026, 0, 7, 5, 9. 2026, 0, 7, 6, 0. 2026, 0, 7, 6, 1. 2026, 0, 7, 6, 2. 2026, 0, 7, 6, 3. 2026, 0, 7, 6, 4. And then item number 5, 2026, 0, 7, 6, 6. I've got a motion on the bill. I've got a motion and a second on the bill. No speakers in the queue. Open the ballot and record your vote. Seven yays. Your own nays. By your action, you approve 2026, 0, 7, 6, 6. Item number 36, 2026, 0, 7, 6, 7. I've got a motion and a second on the bill. Councilman Amaro, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to be added. All right. Council Member Bowling. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to note for the record I was not around when the organization started. I was a member of the organization 50 years ago. Okay. We'll take your word for that. All right. No other speakers in the queue. Open the ballot and record your vote. Oh, I'm sorry, Ms. Pittman. All right, add Ms. Seven yays, zero nays. By your action, you approve 2026, 0, 7, 6, 7. It takes us to item number 37, 2026, 0, 7, 6, 9. I've got a motion and a second on the bill. No speakers in the queue. Open the ballot and record your vote. Seven yays, zero nays. By your action, you approve 2026, 0, 7, 6, 9. The next items are on second, 2026, 0, 7, 7, 0, 2026, 0, 7, 7, 1, 2026, 0, 7, 7, 2, 2026, 0, 7, 7, 3, 2026, 0, 7, 7, 3, 2026, 0, 7, 7, 4, 2026, 0, 7, 7, 7, 5, 2026, 0, 7, 7, 7, 8. And item number 46, 2026, 0, 7, 7, 0, 7, 7, 9. Item 47, we've already taken action on. And that takes us to the end of our agenda. And, Ms. Shell, I believe you had a briefing you wanted to give us. Yes, I know it's at the very end of the meeting. But if I could just have two minutes of your attention. So, a couple rules meetings ago, Council President Howland asked me to look into strengthening protections to ensure that board members appointed by the city are not subject to any financial obligation to serve on their board. You may recall that conversation came up with one of the, I believe, Cultural Council appointments. So, I just wanted to present a couple options to you all. We could amend, do some code amendments to Section 118, 602 is the Cultural Council, and 605 is the Cultural Service Grant Committee. So, those are two places in the code where I could add language to clarify that city appointees are not subject to any financial obligation. Could also amend Chapter 50, which applies to all boards and commissions. To my knowledge, and in speaking with Council Auditors and Kirby and Colleen, there are no other boards like this that are like a hybrid 501c3 private and city with some city appointments. So, that's the only occasion I'm aware of when this kind of situation may come up. You may be aware of others, and if so, I'd like to hear about that. But those are some options if you as a committee are interested in that. Moving forward, some kind of legislation, I'm happy to work on that. If any of you individually want to do that, that's an option as well. All right. Thank you. Let me go to Council Member Lannan. Thank you, Chair. And if you'll give me a couple minutes, I want to really speak to those on neighborhoods. I have two bills in neighborhoods, and I just am not able to be there today. But they're both related to the budget. I think everyone's familiar with them. The first, 2026-0700, this is the simple one. This is just putting money from the contingency account to the completion grants that are coming due this year. The other one, 2026-701, this is the bill to fund $26 million for public safety items. It contains cash and a designated contingency to pay for two of the three items. Where it needs an amendment is to complete the third item, which is for a distribution warehouse for JSO. JSO will be able – they'll be here and able to answer any questions on it. But there's two things going on that require an amendment. One, despite me having the goal of being the first finance chair to not give up money on budget night, I failed. So we lost a little bit of money from that contingency account for that. And then second, it was essentially a placeholder dollar amount in the budget. JSO was actively working with this seller through the summer, and they did get to a sale price. And the sale price is more than what they originally put into the draft CIP plan. So because of that, it will require an amendment. If no one wants to put forward the amendment in neighborhoods, I'm glad to do it in finance the next day. But since I can't be at neighborhoods today, I just wanted to share that for the knowledge of my colleagues. To me, debt makes the most sense, and the reason for that is it is a CIP item. And if you recall, when we went through the CIP plan, we did lower next year's borrowing cost versus what was originally proposed to us. But I'll leave that for anyone on neighborhoods to decide if they want to go forward with that amendment. Bill Clement from JSO has given Philip Peterson all the exact numbers. So if the desire of neighborhoods is to take up that amendment today, like I said, if you all do great. Otherwise, we will take it up in finance tomorrow. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Ms. Schell, you're back on the queue. Okay. Let me go to Council Member Bullen. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do appreciate Ms. Schell's comments. So to be clear through the chair to Ms. Schell, the Cultural Council really is the only one that has an anticipated obligation. But it's not specific in the bill now, nor expectation. I regularly ask members who are being put forward for the Cultural Council to make certain they've had a conversation with Ms. Donovan so they understand there is an expectation, but not a requirement. And so from your research, the Cultural Council is the only one that has that kind of quasi-commitment. The chair to Council Member Bullen, I wouldn't, I don't know if I'd characterize it as a quasi-commitment. Oh, it's not. But just that type of board makeup where there's like a private 501c3 in the city. So I don't know, the legislation is warranted if it's the only one that has it. But I do want to make sure, I know the importance of the Cultural Council and the board and, you know, time, talent, and treasurer is expected for any 501c3. So I think it's appropriate to make sure Ms. Donovan is more than clear. However, it is an option that, you know, an employee team may need to be made aware of as an option, not necessarily as a requirement. I think we've done that. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Let me go to Council Member Clark-Murray. Through the chair to Council Member Lane. Okay, so 0701, there is like the special council reserve balance is like $18 million, but then you've got the 26. So were you explaining where the $5 million is going, $5.1 million is coming from? Through the chair to Council Member Clark-Murray. So that's the gap, right, because we took money out of the contingency. That combined with, at the same time, the cost estimate has gone up on this item to actually acquire the land. So, I mean, it could be a discussion item. Since I won't be at neighborhoods, I would have gone with just have it debt funded within the CIP because this was the, I believe this was the only item that was also in the CIP. So instead of using the cash that we had, since we have less of that plus the cost increase, if I was making the amendment in finance, that's what it would be tomorrow to use debt. And, again, I feel okay about that because we did lower the fiscal year 26-27 debt borrowing versus what was originally proposed in the budget as well by some changes we made in the finance committee. Okay. And so then the other thing through the chair that stood out with me with this particular bill is that the purchase of the CO2 removal system for JFRD, typically when chief powers came before us, it was like a separate bill. I don't recall it being combined with others, so. Through the chair to Ms. Clark-Murray. So, again, that was all proposed in the budget. That $26 million was part of the budget. We took it out to fund separately. And now just that funding, again, given the cost increase and the fact that what we had in the council contingency dollars going into budget night is reduced. That's what's requiring us to decide what the funding source is to make it whole on what the updated cost of the warehouse is. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Chair. All right. Thank you. Let me go to Dr. Salem. Thank you, Chair. Through the chair to Councilman. I'm glad you brought this up, 701, because I assumed you would be at the next committee meeting. I've had some discussions with Mr. Peterson about alternatives to borrowing. And one of the suggestions was using reserves because it's a purchase. It's a one-time purchase, and it would keep us from borrowing the money. And I was going to propose that at neighborhoods. I just assumed you were going to be there as part of the discussion. Now that you're not going to be there, I want to just make you aware of that so that you're not blindsided by that particular option. I think using reserves for a one-time situation like this, particularly with the status of our reserves, would be better than borrowing the money. So I just throw that out. Through the chair to Dr. Salem, I'm perfectly fine with that, too. The reason I thought of debt first is, one, we lowered the debt borrowing for next year, and, two, is a CIP-eligible item. But I agree with where we are with our reserves. If you recall, originally in finance budget hearings, I talked about, well, let's use the reserves for this. The council auditors said, well, let's not use the reserves before 9-30-26 because we do not want – we basically wanted that account balance to be where we thought it would be. This would have taken it all out, but I'm fine with that anyways. The one thing I want to make sure we do is it's going to have one-pagers. If you're not familiar with the project, there are some savings associated with this as well because we are consolidating. It's either three or four separate facilities. I had no idea what was involved in evidence collection before they walked me through this, and so I do think it's a good idea. But like we've seen a lot of times, what they thought it may cost at the beginning of the year when they submitted it as a request turned out to be different than what the settled sales price for this piece of property will be. So I would greatly appreciate it and support that amendment if you put it in as the reserves because, again, it's – we just got to get there one way or another. So either one's still roughly the same amount of dollars anyways. All right. Thank you. And our last one in the queue is Council Member Morrow. All right. I think Mr. Council Member Morrow is good. With that, we are adjourned. Thank you. Thank you.