Duval County City Council's last night of transparency and Meet the Sheriff

[FCTP]

 

CITY COUNCIL:  With millions of dollars being spent on social programs, the Duval County City Council has decided to stop filming the meetings for online or TV viewing for those who cannot attend the meetings.  So much for transparency.

 

As noted by one of our Community Leaders of the First Coast Tea Party:

 

“The city is more concerned about the children's commission, the human rights council and the journey program (which I understand did take a cut) than they are about actual city services and that in a word is wrong.  This can't continue.  The children's commission has been in existence for 17 years now, wields a HUGE budget, and nothing they are doing has improved the quality of the student in the school system (and I question just how much they really do, just how many children they really serve, and their impact per se and have it from a member of the commission and a past city council person they are "ripping off the taxpayer").  The journey program by Mayor Peyton's own admission is an unknown quantity with unknown results (he could not say with certainty it was successful), and the human rights commission is a duplicated service that is also run at the state level for the state of Florida residents use.  Does the city like wasting tax payer money?  Wouldn't the money we pay the human rights council be better spent on the library system or the police?”

Another big item that will be taken up by the City Council will be the Redistricting of our city.  So far the council members are leaning towards a gerrymandered Duval County to appease special interests instead of the desires of the people.  In a release yesterday by Matt Schellenberg’s office, it stated:

 

Matt will have approximately 50 of Matt’s maps to hand out at the City Council meeting.   

This map is based on the desires of the public (as noted at each of the five public hearings), as well as the original priorities of the Redistricting Committee (as referenced in the Committee minutes of May 10th, 2011).  It has very compact districts, it has minimum river crossings, it keeps the Argyle community together, keeps the Urban Core together, keeps Whitehouse in District 12, keeps Durkeeville together, and it recognizes communities of interest.  It is not based on the theory, as stated by Councilman Warren Jones, that there must be four, 60%+ minority districts, and that you must draw long and skinny, and meandering districts in order to obtain them. 

Read an opinion piece by Matt Schellenberg at http://jacksonville.com/opinion/letters-readers/2011-09-27/story/gu...

 

It’s going to be a big night at the Duval County City Council and we encourage you to attend in support of your desires – not those of special interests.  We have a group of tea party members attending tonight and if you are interested in attending and catching a ride, please contact our office at 683-3945.  We would love to have you join us and watch the fireworks together.  If you can’t be there in person, watch the fireworks online or on Channel 7 for the last time tonight too.  After tonight, you’ll have to trust the media to tell you what happened – and good luck with that!

 

Sheriff Town Hall:  Tomorrow night, Wednesday, September 28, we will host a Sheriff Town Hall with Sheriff Rutherford.  The news has been hot lately with the Sheriff going to bat for his department.  Our city government budget should fund safety and instead we spend our dollars funding commissions that are not accountable to anyone and have no metrics in place to determine if they are effective.   The Sheriff will be at the City Council tonight defending his department and tomorrow night you can ask him questions at our town hall.  It will be open mic night and your voice will be heard.  For more information go here:  http://www.fctpcommunity.org/events/grassroots-town-hall-with-sheri...

 

Someone once said, “Politics is always local.”   How true that statement is.  What happens here affects us even more than what happens in DC.  But right now – every politician seems “heck bent” on messing with our lives and demanding we pay for services we don’t want and we don’t need.   

 

We hope the City Council will do the right thing tonight and vote Yes on issues that government should be involved in and No on issues that should have nothing to do with taxpayer dollars. 

 

And remember, City Council, that money you spend tonight is OUR money.  Be wise.  Listen to your constituents and not special interests.  We the people have no patience for tomfoolery. 

 

[michael gable]

Don't know about everyone else but I have 3 (that I know of) city libraries each within the same driving time (appx. 10 minutes) from my house, in different directions.  There may be more for all I know.  Does the city REALLY not spend enough to provide free public libraries?  Police are overstaffed as well.  I bet this city could cut an easy 10% - 15% of its cost to taxpayers and nothing would be missed.

[Patricia M. McBride]

Side note:  Hubby heard on the radio (when he was out this morning) that the EPA is planning on hiring 230,000 new employees.  That does not bode well for the country guys........not at all!

[Patricia M. McBride]

Tony,

I am going to ask that they cut the children's commission for part of the money they took from the library.  I am not against cuts for the library, but I think if you cut a city service, you should be willing to cut social services too.  I think if you cut the police, you should cut the social services too!  We are cutting city services and leaving the (agenda 21) human rights council in tact, we are cutting services and leaving the failed children's commission in tact.  What is wrong with these folks.  From where I am sitting the library does more to pomote families with their programs than the children's commission does for families.  The children's commission has now had 4 graduating classes that would have had children they have "helped" since they entered the school system and we all know the state of the education system in Duval county, so I want cuts for the children's commission and would ask them to reinstate, not all, but at least part of the massive cut they made in the library budget.

[E.C. Dawson]

As far as I can tell Jacksonville is not paying dues to United Nations Agenda 21 ICEI. On ICEI's  website they list  34 other Florida cities who are paying dues to ICEI. International Council of Environmental Initiatives.  This is the destruction of private property for high rise living. No automobiles and restricted areas are off limits to human activity. Look up Agenda 21's Biodiversity map to see how the U.N. has carved up Florida. I will be attending a meeting in St. Simons Island for the  Golden Isles Tea Party on Oct 6 . They have a guest speaker who will be going over all things Agenda 21. If they have cut off online viewing and you have groups with titles like "human rights" that is the United Nations. Be advised the Chamber of Commerce is working in conjunction with the United Nations to bring Agenda 21 into all American cities. A big red flag is when city council members will not let you speak. The GA government has grant money from the Federal Gov to entice business form overseas to relocate to areas hit hard by loss of industry going over seas. Be sure any companies coming into Jacksonville are legitimate companies accessing federal grant money to Florida .  We have a joker trying to set up here in Camden who has sold  fake solar A/C Heating equipment to businesses and residences in Guam and has a lawsuit on him there. He is trying to get some of that GA. grant money. Our Down Town Development Authority was promoting him. We are looking into this. Presently here we are going to the polls soon to get another tax watchdog elected in St. Marys . We had our city council meeting in secret, making decisions without voter approval, and silencing citizen opponents during the open floor sessions of city council meetings. Fireworks indeed ! As far as I can tell our city is not paying dues to ICEI. They sure act like it.

[FCTP]

Victoria:  My husband and I have not had a raise since 2008 either.  Most people in this city and all across the country have not had pay raises.  And....many have lost their jobs.  These are tough times and we are sorry the raises have not been forthcoming for some of our first responders BUT everyone needs to be involved in this process.  We absolutely support the police and fire first over socialist programs.  I wish everyone could be paid what they are worth but the money is not there. 

[Tony Bates]

Thanks Billie for your leadership and for informing everyone about this important meeting tonight. It is exciting to be around the energy of so many in the Tea Party movement.

The lobbyist, for their particular interest, have been at City Councilmembers all year long and will be there tonight. This is an effort for the "Citizen Lobbyist" to be heard.

This budget in only(so called) balanced because they are borrowing 10s of millions of dollars to pay for the spending that is planned. If they had not made some of the cuts that were made we would be borrowing more.

As to the two main lobbying groups for restoration of cuts. If the police had been willing to take a 2% cut like most all other employees did (some even laid off) 2 to 3 million in cuts to the Sheriff's budget would not have to be made. For the Library - Are the citizens willing to say - maybe I'm willing to adjust my hours and days I used the library so we won't have to borrow money. It is possible with proper management that adequate service can still be provided with flexible days and hours for library users. Are all the service provided by the library necessary (especially in tight money times).

The Library has two top notch lobbyist. The key one is Councilman John Crescimbeni who is Vice President of the Board for “ Friends of the Library “ and former Councilmember Harry Regan who is President for the Board of Directors of “Friends of the Library” and former executive of channel 4 TV WJXT. Both are  experienced in knowing how to work the legislative process.

I only mention these two issues because they will have the largest lobbying group (except for us).

I encourage all to e-mail every Councilmember and ask them to support the work of the Finance Committee and look for additional non essential spending cuts. If you have specific suggestions for cuts mention those. You can copy and paste these Councilmembers address in the  TO: for your e-mail   

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We still have a few hours to send e-mails    - Also come to Meeting tonight.    -   Tony Bates  

[CJ]

Matt Schellenberg is ok because you must check his voting record first. Currently there is a Bill 11-555 where JEA was supposed give Mandarin $1 million tio the area where the new power plant went on Old St. Augustine Road with Ped and Bike trails but instead in this bill District 13 is getting the money for for 4 baseball fields, press box, concession stand and parking lot and Matt has voted for it all the way. WHY? The land the was raped by JEA is in District 6 and the promise was for low maintenance trails now it will be passed tonight where all this money we supposedly dont have is going for capital building and maintenance that is in no part of the Comprehensive Plan just dreamed up and all of a sudden money is pooped out from somewhere and maintenance is forever. Thanks Matt!

[Phyl Kimball]

@ Robert

Well said Robert... More important matters are the CFR and our monetary/banking system. I respectfully ask that we research the these issues by viewing the following video of a presentation on the Federal Reserve Banking System by G. Edward Griffin, the author of "The Creature From Jekyll Island"... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhMacPvc5qc

[Patricia M. McBride]

J. Lo, you are quite welcome and I am wowed by many of the comments and hope you have either written to your council folks with the words you are using here or plan to speak tonight as you have here!!   What a terrific group of people!

[Joe Story]

Thanks Billie,

 

Good work keeping us informed.