Bus Shelter Advertising Debate headed to City Council

[CS Foltz]

tufsu..........I am for the most cost efficient method! This is taking into account urban sprawl, transportation issue's and the walkability aspects! My biggest problem with the proposed "Transportation Center" is cost and location! I have seen nothing that says other locations were even considered or discussed......available Bldgs and so forth! Cost is only one part of the equation but availability is another. This is more down your alley than mine...........I am just a simple taxpayer who would like to get the most for my tax money! So here is your chance to convince me otherwise.......but based on what I have seen to this point, I am against the new Center when there are other Bldgs that may suit without building something else!

[stjr]

Looks like JTA is still hiding the bus shelter data from the public after deceiving us with previous numbers on maintenance and costs.  How do they get away with this?  And, how do they expect us to believe anything else they say about this or other projects?  JTA already has little credibility.  It appears to be sinking to new lows.

Attorney sues JTA over public records request

   * By Larry Hannan
   * Story updated at 7:33 PM on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010

A former attorney with the Jacksonville General Counsel’s Office is suing the Jacksonville Transportation Authority because he says it has not complied with his public records request.

Tracey Arpen  filed suit this week in Circuit Court over a request he filed in October. Arpen is a longtime advocate of the city’s sign law, and JTA successfully lobbied the City Council last year to amend that law so it could build bus shelters with advertisements.

Arpen and others opposed that amendment.

The public records request asks for all documents identifying lobbyists, expenses, and communication regarding the sign law. It also asks for documentation that backs up an assertion JTA Executive Director Michael Blaylock made in a video on JTA’s Web site that said it was responding to thousands of people who’d called for more bus shelters.

JTA is a state agency and must comply with the state public records law, the lawsuit said. Arpen said there was no reason JTA couldn’t provide the documents. He expects a hearing to occur on the matter next week.

Arpen and other argue that amending the sign law will put the law banning billboards at risk via a legal challenge from a sign company that doesn’t get the contract. JTA and lawyers for the city’s General Counsel Office dispute that.

JTA is expected to go forward with a request for proposal that will invite sign companies to bid for a contract to build and maintain shelters with ads, however the issue is not on the agenda for Thursday's JTA board meeting.

JTA can go forward with a request for proposal without asking the boards permission, it usually only asks the board for approval after getting bids from contractors. But the issue may still come up at the meeting, said spokesman Mike Miller, who also said JTA would have no comment on Arpen's lawsuit.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-01-27/story/attorney_sues_jta_over_public_records_request

[stjr]

Want to know why we don't have street cars?  Why our bus system is inadequate?  Why we are hung with a $14 million a year loss $ky-high-way that hardly anyone rides?  Why we are getting BRT shoved down our throats?  Followed by a poorly planned intermodal center?  And, urban sprawl projects like 9B and the Outer Beltway?  While commuter rail remains but a dream?  And, good bus service just as far afield?  Why a multi-hundred million dollar transportation agency needs a few paltry bucks from bus shelter ads at the risk of bringing back billboards to our community by endangering our envy-of-the-nation billboard law?  

Well, consider that JTA has become a manipulative and incompetent institution that will stop at nothing to promote itself and its underlying goals of fostering any projects that put easy money in its pocket, regardless of whether said projects are good or bad for the community JTA is supposed to serve.

Manipulation and incompetency show through listening to attorneys with conflicts of interests that speak to subjects they know not of, public officials with conflicts of interests, lying in bed with developers, being out of touch with Downtown and community planners, paying lip service to citizen complaints and input, providing blatant distribution of mis-information and inaccurate data or refusing to provide any data at all, incompetence at operating the bus system and the $ky-high-way, failing to seek competitive federal and state grants for good projects like commuter rail and street cars while taking the easy dollars for bad projects like BRT and the $ky-high-way ....

The developing pattern is that JTA prostitutes itself for the easy federal, state, and other dollars for roads we shouldn't build and questionable mass transit projects (that's why the money is easy, others are smart enough not to want these bad projects despite the easy money) while forgoing making the greater effort to seek truly competitive grants for projects that adhere to a set of consistent, common sense, and coherent priorities that would serve our community well.

Typifying much of the behavior of our "community leaders", JTA is satisfied to take what is easy, quick, "cheap" (only in the short run), but ultimately wasteful, expensive and detrimental to our community.  And, then, JTA compounds its sins by promoting its "false accomplishments" to elevate its self esteem while leaving us citizens holding the bag of crud they have left us with.

JTA "Game of the Week" and cover over by Council President Clark and JTA mouthpiece Miller below:

Webb's ties to JTA renew conflict-of-interest concerns
Council vice president also had conflict issues during landfill debate

   * By Tia Mitchell
   * Story updated at 10:51 AM on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010

For the second time in four months, City Council Vice President Jack Webb is being accused of concealing business dealings that pose a potential conflict of interest.

Webb, a lawyer, has been helping the Jacksonville Transportation Authority with labor negotiations since at least July, a relationship he didn’t disclose when the council voted in October on a controversial bill that paved the way for bus shelter advertising.

The General Counsel’s Office says Webb has done nothing wrong by taking JTA on as a client and continuing to vote on bills related to the agency.  But opponents of the bus shelter ads are calling for another vote, saying Webb should have been more up-front with his colleagues and the public.

In a statement Monday, Webb insisted he’s acted with “an over-abundance of caution” to ensure no conflicts of interest arise while JTA is represented by his law firm â€" Brennan, Manna and Diamond.

The council paved the way for bus shelter ads on Oct. 13 when it approved the measure on a 10-6 vote. Webb, who voted with the majority in supporting JTA’s position, also presided over debate on the issue when council President Richard Clark left the meeting early.

That same day, Webb submitted a bill for his legal services to JTA attorney David Cohen, detailing the work he did in September and bringing his three-month total to more than $8,000.

Tracey Arpen, a former City Hall attorney, attended the council meeting to argue against bus shelter advertising. He said Webb should have disclosed then that he was doing work for JTA.

“Why wouldn’t he be up-front and tell the public and his fellow council members about it?” Arpen asked Monday.

Around the time the bus shelter bill was approved by the council, Webb faced similar questions about another client. It was discovered Oct. 19 that he had been quietly representing Republic Services, a company that had vocally opposed the mayor’s proposed Trail Ridge landfill contract extension with a competitor.

Webb had been the most vocal council opponent of the deal, which was taken off the table in April. Webb denied any conflict, saying the client relationship began after the Trail Ridge discussions had ended.

But following a wave of public criticism, he dropped Republic as a client and resigned as chairman of the council’s Trail Ridge Oversight Committee.

Webb told the Times-Union about his work for JTA about two weeks ago, shortly after the paper published a story about a lawsuit Arpen filed against the agency, alleging it had been denied public records.

The councilman said he wanted to disclose his business ties to JTA in case Arpen and other critics of the bus shelter measure tried to make an issue of it.

On Friday, Webb said he started working for JTA recently, starting with some preliminary discussions a few months ago.

He said he called Cindy Laquidara , the city’s chief deputy general counsel, around Thanksgiving for legal guidance about whether working for JTA, whose budget is approved by the City Council, created a conflict of interest.

Laquidara responded in a Jan. 12 e-mail that while Webb wasn’t prohibited from working for JTA, he should seek guidance from a city attorney before voting on any measures related to JTA.

The Times-Union on Monday obtained a copy of bills that Webb submitted to JTA for legal work done in July, August and September totalling $8,263.50.

He didn’t respond to a request to clarify when he began working for JTA and why he waited until several months after the relationship began to seek guidance from the General Counsel’s Office.

Instead, Webb issued a statement via e-mail defending his position.

“In the interest of proceeding in what is perhaps an over-abundance of caution, I thought it appropriate to get confirmation from the [General Counsel]’s office regarding my earlier understanding that no conflict existed by virtue of my representation of the JTA in certain difficult labor matters,” he wrote. “I received that verbally and later in writing.”

Jon Phillips, who serves as the city’s ethics counsel, said nothing in state law precludes Webb from voting on any bill related to JTA as long as it doesn’t provide him a direct benefit. Because of this, Webb was never legally required to tell others about the work he does for the agency, Phillips said.

Webb said Friday he told Ethics Officer Carla Miller about his business relationship with JTA and had a discussion with Clark about two weeks ago.

Clark said he didn’t ask Webb when he forged the business ties with the transportation agency and will rely on him to determine when or if it should be disclosed in the future.

“The onus is entirely on him, as it is any of us,” Clark said. “It’s not my job to check on what everybody else does for a living.”

JTA spokesman Mike Miller said Webb was hired because he’s one of the best labor lawyers in Jacksonville, and JTA and Webb both agreed that there was no conflict of interest.

When it was pointed out that Webb didn’t ask for the General Counsel’s opinion until after the bus shelter vote, Miller said it didn’t seem necessary.

“He would not have voted that day if there was any question of a conflict of interest,” Miller said.

Arpen learned of Webb’s work for JTA after reviewing some of the public records he obtained during his opposition to the bus shelter bill. He believes it now puts that vote into question and Webb should take responsibility for that.

“He’s the one that ought to ask for the bill to be brought back before the City Council and the council reconsider its previous actions,” Arpen said.

But Clark said he’s comfortable with Webb’s conduct during the October meeting and the bus shelter vote.

“That is so far removed from labor negotiations, I don’t know how the two really coincide,” Clark said.

Times-Union writer Larry Hannan contributed to this report.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-02-08/story/webbs_ties_to_jta_renew_conflict_of_interest_concerns

[CS Foltz]

The CRC wonders why people are pushing for "Ethical Guidelines" to be Incorporated into the Charter? Some of the  Commission has even gone so far as to say things such as "I don't see why it's needed" or "We already have limits" or "There is no corruption in our government"................what a wagon full of bull pucky ! This is a classic example of WHY we NEED Guidelines in black and white and on paper! That also might just slow down JTA since the Independent Agency's would be included! Your right stjr.............JTA has become a heho!

[stjr]

Creative minds at work as bus shelter ad opponent helps craft bill to raise money for bus shelter maintenance from illegal sign fines.  It would be ironic if JTA needs this fine money "found" by its opponent, Mr. Brinton, to make up for its own ad program shortfalls.  JTA should take note how to get creative itself without selling us out.

Changes in Jacksonville sign laws proposed to help small businesses
Source URL: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-06-07/story/changes-jacksonville-sign-laws-proposed-help-small-businesses

By Tia Mitchell

Jacksonville could legalize roadside signs by businesses in order to help them attract customers and avoid city fines but still ban so-called “bandit” or “snipe” signs.

Real estate companies and businesses located in construction zones would benefit the most from legislation up for approval by the City Council Tuesday night.

The bill also calls for stepped-up enforcement and clean-up of the illegal snipe signs that clutter public roads with offers for everything from pressure washing to instant cash for your home.

Councilman Daniel Davis, who introduced the bill, said small business owners have called his office to complain about fines received from the city’s code enforcement division. Those signs were helping generate much-needed traffic to businesses struggling to survive in a recession, the entrepreneurs owners told him.

“During these conversations, I realized we needed to do something to remove government regulation and make it easier for them to conduct business,” Davis said.

Originally, the bill would have allowed any businesses to put up directional signs to their locations on the weekends. But the city attorneys cautioned that the language was too broad, and it was later tailored to real-estate companies only.

If the bill passes, companies must pay a $100 permit fee per sign and will be allowed to post them from 3 p.m. Friday to 3 p.m. Sunday within one mile of the subdivision, open house or model home being advertised.

The council’s Land Use and Zoning Committee also added an amendment that would allow businesses located near roadwork projects to post directional signs. Those signs can be posted 24/7 for the duration of the construction work, and no permit fee is required.

The bill would expire at the end of July 2011 unless the council votes to extend.

Environmental advocate Bill Brinton may seem like the least likely person to support more signs in public areas, but he was instrumental in crafting this update to the sign ordinance.

Brinton said he has never been against signs but rather has made it his mission to ensure the city’s sign regulations are fair while also protecting the natural scenery.

“Sometimes that means loosening up on what might otherwise be too strict and tightening down on some other things,” he said.

Davis and Brinton both studied the city’s sign ordinance 10 years ago, which was before Davis became a councilman. Over the years, some holes in city sign laws have been pointed out, and this bill will address some of them, including adding language to allow temporary election signs.

Though signs are prevalent during every election season, Jacksonville laws don’t specifically address them. That left the city vulnerable to a legal challenge, Brinton said.

Brinton said the bill also tightens the city’s anti-litter laws by adding language to enforce the cleanup of the “snipe” or “bandit” signs placed or affixed to public property or placed on a right of way.

They have become ubiquitous as small business owners attempt to entice drivers to use their services. Recently, some signs in public areas have criticize elected officials for proposed cuts to the fire department.

Enforcement of the law has been virtually non-existent, Brinton said. Now, there will be a steady stream of income to clean up the signs and fine the responsible parties.

The fines for snipe signs will be $50 for the first violation up to $350 for the fifth violation. Seventy percent of the proceeds will pay to maintain the areas around bus shelters. The remaining 30 percent will be added to the revenue from the permit fees and will fund litter clean up, including the removal of snipe signs.

Barbara Moore, the Northeast Florida division chief for homebuilder Lennar Corp., said there has been lack of clarity in the past about which types of signs were acceptable, and enforcement was inconsistent. She praised the City Council’s efforts to rewrite the laws and also provide relief for real estate businesses.

Moore said signs help firms like Lennar advertise communities that often are not visible from busy city streets. Surveys have proved those signs work, she said.

“We are most frequently told, 'I found you because of signs,’ and that is true across the country,” she said.

Moore said the plan to allow weekend directional signs was fair and allowed for a reasonable compromise between business interests and those who wanted to erase litter and visual clutter. She said the temporary nature of the signs, because they must be taken down every Sunday, is also a benefit.

“It will make those signs automatically be managed more properly,” she said. “You won’t have signs just sitting there that get old and worn out and knocked over.”

[CS Foltz]

I can see where signage is important, particularly in an area that is under construction or renovation, but I have misgivings about whether or not this will be applied even handedly! JTA has not shown much innovation or creativity to this point .....why would they change now? Infact......has anyone seen any evidence of them curbing costs, other than pushing for "Advertising" so that more shelters can be built?