Coming up on nine months in office, Mayor Alvin Brown announced his plans Tuesday to restructure the City’s economic development efforts by creating a Downtown Investment Authority and an Office of Economic Development.
“The buck stops with the mayor,” Brown said.
The 39 pages of legislation also would speed up the Council approval process and includes an “economic development closing fund” for the mayor to use “for any economic development project that creates jobs for the city.”
Brown, City Council President Stephen Joost, Jacksonville Civic Council Chairman Peter Rummell, JAX
Chamber President Wally Lee and JAXUSA Partnership President Jerry Mallot unveiled the legislation at a news conference at City Hall.
The two bills, 2012-212 and 2012-213, were introduced to Council Tuesday. They are expected to take the normal Council cycle.
“I don’t want to give Council a deadline,” Brown said after the 3:30 p.m. news conference in the mayor’s large conference room.
In general, Council members did not comment about the legislation at the meeting last night, saying they wanted to read the bills first.
Joost said at the news conference that the legislation will improve the City’s competitive edge in recruiting jobs.
“This will make Jacksonville even more successful,” he said.
Council member Don Redman, whose district includes parts of Downtown, said he would “love to see some things happening.”
“Without a vibrant Downtown, Jacksonville won’t be what we want to be,” he said.
“This will allow us to focus on Downtown like a laser,” said Brown. He said he wants to see more people living Downtown and also attract a grocery store, restaurants, a movie theater and retail stores.
The largest at 32 pages, Ordinance 2012-212 repeals the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission and creates the Jacksonville Downtown Investment Authority and the Office of Economic Development.
Both the Florida House and Senate have approved a legislative bill repealing the commission and it awaits Gov. Rick Scott’s signature.
The JEDC was created 15 years ago and incorporated the former Downtown Development Authority and other economic-development agencies.
The Downtown Investment Authority’s board would comprise nine members appointed by the mayor and confirmed by Council. It would meet at least quarterly and more often as needed.
It would serve as the City’s Community Redevelopment Agency for Downtown redevelopment areas.
The legislation calls for the Downtown Investment Authority to be able to “negotiate and grant final approval to downtown development and redevelopment agreements subject to the Agency’s budget without further action of Council.”
It also would incorporate and perform the functions of the Downtown Development Review Board starting with the 2012-13 fiscal year.
The board would appoint a CEO to be paid from funds available to the agency. The CEO could “appoint, employ and/or remove” staff, depending on funding.
Regarding finances, the legislation said the agency’s operations would be financed from “moneys borrowed and to be repaid from other funds received under the Agency of this act; Donations and contributions to the Agency for the performance of it functions from any source, public or private; Revenues from the rental, operation, or sale of assets, facilities, and projects of the Agency and revenue from any agreements with any public body; Public revenues derived from property in the downtown area appropriated by Council and approved by the mayor.”
Council’s support will become evident in committee and Council meetings. It is slated to be discussed at the committee level in mid-April.
Redman, said the 19 Council members are focused on the areas they represent.
“They all have their concerns. To convince them Downtown is important, that can be hard to do,” he said.
The Office of Economic Development would be led by an “economic development officer” appointed by the mayor.
Brown did not name that officer Tuesday, nor did he name any proposed authority board members.
The legislation calls for the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission to “no longer exist” and its assets, liabilities and property be transferred to the City.
Its employees would transfer to the Office of Economic Development “as appropriate” and succeed to their former duties, responsibilities and functions.
The ordinance calls for the closing fund to be used “where quick action is required to create jobs for the city in accordance with the job creation guidelines of the Office of Economic Development.”
No dollar amount was listed. The administration unsuccessfully asked Council for a $2 million closing fund in the current budget.
Chris Hand, Brown’s chief of staff, said this morning the amount of the proposed closing fund has not been set. He said it would be included in the budget Brown presents to Council in mid-July.
Ordinance 2012-213, at seven pages, speeds up the Council review process to allow for approval of some incentive legislation after one or two readings rather than the traditional three readings.
Joost said that competing cities were able to approve economic development deals in four to five weeks. “Our City was taking 10 weeks,” he said.
“When we remove this obstacle … we will be even more competitive,” he said.
The legislation states that “it is in the best interest of the City of Jacksonville to streamline the process of economic development incentives.”
It states that one or two readings of some bills, rather than three, is consistent with general law and still provides “for the protections to the public.”
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