Jacksonville City Council

The Jacksonville City Council is the legislative governing body of the city of Jacksonville, Florida.

Composition

The Jacksonville City Council is composed of nineteen members who are elected to four-year terms and serve as part-time legislators. In May of each year the Council elects a President and Vice President to serve one-year terms beginning the first of July.

The nineteen members are not all elected in the same manner; some are elected from districts, and others are elected at large. However, once elected, there is no distinction between council members elected at-large and from regular districts. Both have equal rights and responsibilities.

Regular districts

The city is divided into 14 districts; each of these districts elects a single council member who resides in the district. Like virtually all legislative districts at all levels in United States, these districts are redrawn every ten years following the decennial census. In Jacksonville, since reapportionment of the 1990s, four of these districts have been gerrymandered to increase the likelihood of electing an African-American council person.

At-large groups

The other five council members are elected by the entire community "at large". However, in the early 1990s, voters approved an unusual residency requirement for "at-large" members. The county was divided into five special districts unrelated to any other districts, solely for the purpose of providing better representation for all geographical areas of Jacksonville. This was done because a trend had developed in which all five "at large" council persons actually resided in one small area of town. So under the current structure, at-large council members must reside in the special district for which they are running, but are elected by the voters of the county as a whole.

Currently, one at large seat is vacant because of a violation of this residency requirement; in 2007 a councilman was elected as the at-large councilman from the 2nd special district, but evidence later arose indicating that he actually lived in the 3rd special district. A judge subsequently invalidated the election, and the seat became vacant. [ [http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/022308/met_249890797.shtml Florida Times-Union: February 22, 2008-Court rules Jabour's seat invalidated by Beth Kormanik] ]

Party affiliation

Currently the council has four Democrats and fourteen Republicans serving. All four Democrats were elected from regular districts.

Committees

The Council President assigns members to committees and to act as council liaisons. [ [http://www.coj.net/City+Council/Standing+Committees.htm City of Jacksonville website: City Council-Council Committees, Boards and Commissions] ]

There are six standing committees:
#Finance
#Land Use & Zoning
#Public Health & Safety
#Recreation & Community Development
#Rules
#Transportation, Energy & Utilities

There are two special committees:
#Personnel
#Seaport & Airport

There are three council boards & commissions:
#Duval County Tourist Development Council
#Jacksonville Waterways Commission
#Value Adjustment Board

Awards

The "Charles D. Webb Award" is given annually by outgoing council President for the most effective councilman, i.e. most helpful to the council and constituents. The award is named after Webb, a Westside district councilman who died of cancer at age 46 in 1976. [ [http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/070597/2b1CITY.html Florida Times-Union: July 5, 1997-Mayor Delaney seeking 'housing czar'] ]

After the 1988 death of Claude Yates, known as the father of Jacksonville’s consolidation, the Jacksonville City Council created the "Claude J. Yates Outstanding Councilman of the Year Award", which is bestowed annually to an exemplary council member.

The council created the "John E. Goode Award" for best council debater in 1997. The award is named for Goode, an Arlington and Southside district councilman who died of cancer in 1990. His illness forced him to resign his seat in 1985.

The "Mary L. Singleton Award" is given to the member with the most difficult committee assignment during the year. Singleton was one of the first women elected to the council and the first African-American from Jacksonville elected to the state House of Representatives. She died in 1980.

City Council Members

Minor Scandal

In late 2007, a Grand Jury announced that it would probe alleged Sunshine Law violations by the Jacksonville City Council. While the Grand Jury found numerous instances of violation of the law, they decided against issuing any indictments when they issued their final report in January 2008. [ [http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/011808/met_237677300.shtml Florida Times-Union: January 18, 2008-Grand Jury Issues Report by Mary Kelli Palka] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.coj.net/City+Council/default.htm City of Jacksonville Council Homepage]