Thanks to the Women's League of Voters for this information!
Ethics Commission Meeting
Monday, March 11 at 5pm
City Hall (first floor; Lynwood Roberts room)
DOES THE PUBLIC HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK AT OFFICIAL CITY MEETINGS? SHOULD THEY?
The Commission will be discussing the public's right to speak at noticed city meetings. (The Ethics Office has proposed legislation that would require the city's Boards and Commissions to have a public comment section at noticed meetings. This would guarantee the right of citizens to be able to speak at these meetings; this is NOT required by the Florida Sunshine law at this time.) Come and speak on the bill; show that citizens care about this issue!
www.lwvjacksonvilleleague.org
There are "working" meetings where the elected are conducting business and reviewing & discussing the issues of their bills and ongoing business.
Then there are public meetings where they are soliciting the publics input into their ongoing civic business.
Both allow the public to attend, but only the second allows public comments.
If you allow unsolicited public input into working meetings then chances are they will not be able to get any work done. Which is kind of the reason you elected them in the first place. Each meeting type has a purpose, each allows the public to monitor the comings and goings. But one is purposely designed for the public to respond.
Good points spuwho. I am guessing that all of this will come up in discussion during this meeting. :)
I think it is important to have the meeting so that folks who don't know how business is handled at the various meetings can better understand when public commentary is appropriate. I would also venture to say that if there are meetings that deny public speakers that could allow them without those comments becoming an interference, that may be addressed as well and changes made.
Quote from: Cheshire Cat on March 07, 2013, 05:44:59 PM
Thanks to the Women's League of Voters for this information!
Ethics Commission Meeting
Monday, March 11 at 5pm
City Hall (first floor; Lynwood Roberts room)
DOES THE PUBLIC HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK AT OFFICIAL CITY MEETINGS? SHOULD THEY?
YES and YES
At the 3/1/13 Ethics Commission subcommittee meeting had two items on the agenda.
1. Right of Public to speak at noticed meetings.
2. Discussion on text messaging policies.
The Public Trust has just been totally destroyed in this community.
Carla Miller and the Ethics Commission are doing a great job restoring that Public Trust.
1. The right of Public to speak at noticed meetings is a huge plus and not a negative. Slam dunk.
2. The text messaging policies is where there should be concern. The city is intending to consolidate phone service. The city is going to use Sprint.
The problem is Sprint has no capacity to retain messages.
Will the Mayor and city council then spend, invest, appropriate, allocate, fund, utilize, divert, take money about $200,000 for the ability to retain text messages to insure the PUBLIC TRUST? As a city lets hope so.
Most elected officials, Board members, Independent Authorities, Constitutional officers are using their own personal devices and have dropped city devices. Isn't this what the new guy at the school board just did? Carla, please jump in here and correct me on this anytime.
So Funding?
2012-202- Free parking for council members and judges. Cha Ching!
Councilman Redman -What are the bids for a slab of concrete for the Jacobs Clock? JEA/Public works project?
Hemming Plaza-Are the tables and chairs in or out?
Palms Fish Camp-A million bucks. Cha-Ching.
A 2 billion dollar pension liability and glorified welfare 2005-1007. Voted on by Republicans and Democrats.
FSCJ -EXTRA! EXTRA! A midnight email and an EXTRA $500,000 in less than 24 hours voted on by a BOARD.
JTA - EXTRA! EXTRA! An EXTRA 1/4 million dollar plus golden parachute voted on by a BOARD
PFPF-EXTRA! EXTRA! A million dollar plus pension Bennie for a convicted child molester voted on by a BOARD.
Add your own areas where this city can come up with an EXTRA $200,000
So on March 11 a meeting of the Ethics Commission needs to include $200,000 so as to insure the Public Trust with this cities ability to retain text messages.
A new Authority.
Embrace It
Or
It will Embrace us.
So who wants to kayak and fish under the brand new No Fishing signs that was never before Waterways and we'll launch at a Public spot Downtown that needs a Mayor Brown Kayak Logo.
I am Downtown and why you aren't
Ben-JCCI we need to kayak Downtown before 2025 ( Just give me 3 minutes)
Spuwho, I don't remember who said it on a mobility fee thread, but they made the point that the "real" work gets done in the committee meetings. Decisions are made and recommended to Council, and it's pretty much decided. If that's the case, then those committee members need to hear public comments.
^^^+$200,000 to retain text messages. It's only the Public TRUST.
Jacksonville Waterways Commission meeting 5 days out. Is there one MJ'er that would write a check for a buck to 2009-442? I will deliver it personally on your behalf.
it's the Artificial Reef TRUST fund. Don't let the word TRUST stop you.
Established by ordinance.
Next DIA Board meeting 12 days out.
Quote from: Debbie Thompson on March 08, 2013, 07:29:03 AM
Spuwho, I don't remember who said it on a mobility fee thread, but they made the point that the "real" work gets done in the committee meetings. Decisions are made and recommended to Council, and it's pretty much decided. If that's the case, then those committee members need to hear public comments.
If a person wants to address a committee about a particular issue, I have been told it is best to contact the committee chair and request time for a presentation. Another possibility is that a committee member can call you to the podium to answer questions.
But, I still have found that one-on-one conversation is the best way to get the message across. And sometimes the best way to talk to a council member is to attend a committee meeting that they have been assigned to. Wait for the meeting to end and get their attention while they are walking out. You can almost always get a few minutes, and then set up a later meeting with them when they can give you more time.
7 hours out. The full Ethics Commission that will have the ability to add the issue of text messages to become an issue at the JCCI - Vision 2025 upcoming March meeting.
Was this discussed in Governance at the last JCCI meeting?
Is Metrojacksonville banning people from being allowed to register for the forum. Have people being denied that want to post but are being denied.
I doubt that Noone. More likely than not, they are not completing the registration process correctly. Have them register again and then look for an email from the MJ site. They should respond to that email, complete registration and then have no problem posting. Also remind your friends that when they log in, they need to say how long they wish to stay on for that session. If they are only asking for a hour, they will have to log in again to post, or get the "denied" message. It's basically saying "log in", I believe.
OK. But people have been banned before? people have told me that they have. Recently ran into a bud and asked how come you don't post anymore on MJ and he told me that he was banned. I seem to recall threads on here where it was mentioned and a poster that had been banned and is now back. For me what fired me up on this is what Carla Miller is doing and the issue is ETHICS.
The right to speak at a noticed meeting. The right to vote on MJ.
I don't pretend to be an expert with the computer for a second but the explanations make sense when explained. At the Ethics meeting last night the draft legislation was approved. The chair James Young mentioned and applauded Carla's reach into the community and the responses back. she did mention MJ and a group at the Beach that had double the numbers.
There is a vote tonight on 2013-9 the ice cream food truck truck guys. Haven't heard back from my Dist. 4 city council representative after numerous attempts. I mention this piece of legislation (which if you ask me should be deferred) An Ethics commission member made a great point and I don't know his name but basically the Public should be allowed to speak before the vote.
There are numerous examples but I referenced the Front Page Times Union story "More FSCJ spending issues come up. Did ex-President Steve Wallace break ethics rules? Imagine if the Public had an opportunity to speak before that midnight email and demanding an extra $500,000 that was then voted on by a Board that same day. Would the outcome have been different if the Public were allowed to speak before this taxpayer expenditure was voted on and approved.
Another example. The recent PFPF Bennie package for a convicted child molester highlighted in the Times Union and Folio. Over a million bucks. Would the outcome have been different if the Public were allowed to speak before this taxpayer expenditure was voted on and approved.
Emailed council members and heard back from some. Didn't here back from my council representative. But let's all be excited about 2013-9
But to the legislation and this is where you have to give super props to Mr. Young and the Process. He allowed Public comment before the Ethics Commission took a vote on the proposed legislation.
Visit Jacksonville- Our child molesters get pensions too with Board approval.
Not to speak for the Admins of this message board, but as a long time member of a general interest board and a former Admin of a local board - there are differences between government business and an Internet message board. The main being that most message boards are privately owned and have their own rules (terms of service) - if someone violates those rules, the owners can kick them out - "ban" them.
To the two cases you mentioned are both personnel matters, and subject to a variety of legal restrictions on what can be done. In both cases, I agree with you that the decisions were wrong for the public and wish there was a way to overturn them.
Well maybe I know two of that handful that have been banned. And in the recent appeal by our COJ Ethics officer Carla Miller did have me encouraging people to vote and participate in the poll. Congratulations to Carla and those that participated in this civics lesson.
I do mention this forum to everyone. You guys are awesome. There have been some spirited debates in the past and some that continue on. I'm glad to hear that the number of people that have been banned is not as high as I was fearing.