Councilman Clark to sponsor new 3-year Mobility Plan fee moratorium legislation

[fsujax]

I sent my email. I will be there tonight.

[tufsu1]

Remember, it has been established this could be an "emergency" vote where later public comment never happens.  An emergency vote can be taken tonight.  Don't wait, thinking you will have another chance at comment.  You may not.  This is important.  Make the city council meeting tonight if at all possible.  If you can't make it, send your emails as soon as you can this morning so there will be time for it to be read.

Clark has not filed this as an "emergency" bill....that is the HRC bill filed by Schellenberg

of course, I guess Clark could change his mind...but my understanding is that Council President Bishop will not entertain that motion.

[Debbie Thompson]

Still need to be there and make ourselves heard, agreed?

[Bridges]

Glad councilman Clark could take the time out of his busy schedule to miss another meeting.

Great turn out tonight.  The bikers really rallied for that one.  Too bad Clark didn't see it.   I had to be one of the last to talk, my eyes were about to roll out of my head with the Ahmad talk. 

Keep fighting.

[Ocklawaha]

The star of the show was a little 6 +/- year old boy who took the mike and told us how he likes to ride his bike. He rides 13 miles every Saturday (like my grandson in OK) and he says we need better paths and safer streets! Did anyone catch his name? I'd like to credit him with the statement. BRAVO!

Bill Gulliford wins the 'Flying Fickle Finger of Fate Award' for tonights performance when after a bicyclist pled the case for better infrastructure he said, "The year we didn't collect the fees amounted to only $3 million dollars, you can't do anything with that, it would take 30 years! You'd have to fund a project like that from many sources not just the mobility plan money." Actually made Don Redman sound like a physics professor.

This totally threw me off my game as I had to change everything to address yet another case of culpable ignorance. "Memphis built some streetcar lines for $3 million dollars a mile, and most new streetcar projects have been in the 2-3 mile range. Those investments have returned BILLIONS in new development." I went down the list of cities and gave them the dollar amounts spurred by fixed mass transit in each, then realized the whole council with the exception of one or two was asleep.

"WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND THEY ARE US!"

[Tacachale]

If it's the same kid I'm thinking of his name is Hollis. I'm told his dad had wanted to bow out to grab a bite, but Hollis wouldn't go until he'd had his chance to speak to the council.

Future Mayor of Jacksonville, should we be so fortunate.

[thelakelander]

You can do a lot with $3 mill a year, especially if used for leverage for matching grants. Nevertheless, you can't assume what took place last year will be consistent in the future. The market is already improving, so it will most likely be more this year than it was last. Also, it still appears that most are missing the main purpose of the plan and fee. It guides the design and pattern of development in a way to where it actually begins to pay for itself. It creates a situation where there becomes nodes within the city where people could actually walk to get to a mix of uses within various sections of town. That doesn't cost millions to achieve but it saves taxpayers millions through creating an avenue where we don't subsidize development that doesn't pay for itself.

[tufsu1]

Glad councilman Clark could take the time out of his busy schedule to miss another meeting.

agreed...the penalty for not showing up for his bill's first reading is that the bill should be thrown out

[JeffreyS]

You can do a lot with $3 mill a year, especially if used for leverage for matching grants. Nevertheless, you can't assume what took place last year will be consistent in the future. The market is already improving, so it will most likely be more this year than it was last. Also, it still appears that most are missing the main purpose of the plan and fee. It guides the design and pattern of development in a way to where it actually begins to pay for itself. It creates a situation where there becomes nodes within the city where people could actually walk to get to a mix of uses within various sections of town. That doesn't cost millions to achieve but it saves taxpayers millions through creating an avenue where we don't subsidize development that doesn't pay for itself.

Lake you have likely just crafted the basic text of my next round of emails to the council.

Glad councilman Clark could take the time out of his busy schedule to miss another meeting.

agreed...the penalty for not showing up for his bill's first reading is that the bill should be thrown out

Agreed and a snarky remark about this will also be in my emails.

[Ocklawaha]

Yes that was it.

THE HONOR GOES TO HOLLIS!

I don't know why I forgot it, Hollis is also the name of a tiny town in SW Oklahoma that came up and kicked our A***s every year when my girls we're in high school in OK.

[Ocklawaha]

You can do a lot with $3 mill a year, especially if used for leverage for matching grants. Nevertheless, you can't assume what took place last year will be consistent in the future. The market is already improving, so it will most likely be more this year than it was last. Also, it still appears that most are missing the main purpose of the plan and fee. It guides the design and pattern of development in a way to where it actually begins to pay for itself. It creates a situation where there becomes nodes within the city where people could actually walk to get to a mix of uses within various sections of town. That doesn't cost millions to achieve but it saves taxpayers millions through creating an avenue where we don't subsidize development that doesn't pay for itself.

Lake, this makes sense to those of us on MJ, but after tonight, with a couple of exceptions the whole idea shoots right over and past their heads. I think we can identify who rode the short bus in Jacksonville, they might understand if you used finger paints.

[ricker]

You can do a lot with $3 mill a year, especially if used for leverage for matching grants. Nevertheless, you can't assume what took place last year will be consistent in the future. The market is already improving, so it will most likely be more this year than it was last. Also, it still appears that most are missing the main purpose of the plan and fee. It guides the design and pattern of development in a way to where it actually begins to pay for itself. It creates a situation where there becomes nodes within the city where people could actually walk to get to a mix of uses within various sections of town. That doesn't cost millions to achieve but it saves taxpayers millions through creating an avenue where we don't subsidize development that doesn't pay for itself.

so efficiently stated!
Thank you, Mr.Davis!
I'm surprised that I received any good positive responses from any recipients of my tangenty clipped rant!

I will be more direct!

[sheclown]

Last night was surreal. 

It began with a resolution to honor Bill Killingsworth where we watch all councilmen lavish kudos on him before rolling up their sleeves in an attempt to dismantle his work.

Of course, the hypocrisy around Bill Killingsworth's mobility plan pales in comparison to the Human Rights debacle.   In that regard, the only honest one (many are still claiming this is about the number of people on the commission) is Kimberly Daniels who cries FOUL BALL because no one came to her defense when she was running for council.  She believes her civil rights were violated because she had been a prostitute and that was held against her. 

Oof-da.. 

Hypocrisy lead by ignorance and broadcast live.

The only bright spot last night was CM Brown who introduced a bill which says the city ought to check out the existing buildings before building something new.  Brown had to firmly stand his ground, but the ordinance passed.

[Debbie Thompson]

Since the council tuned out at some point, try making your points with emails.  Short, concise, with quick bullet points so they'll be read.  Also, the bill will come up again at the next council meeting on the 26th, right? and we can speak to the specific ordinance.  Keep doing your research and making your points.

We stayed last night until about 8:00, and I was struck that of everyone who stood up to speak on the mobility fee moratorium NOT ONE was in favor of it.  Even those who knew it wouldn't solve everything, knew it was a start.  While the suburban developers weren't there last night, they are lobbying the council, you can be sure, so keep up the public pressure.

[tufsu1]

The only bright spot last night was CM Brown who introduced a bill which says the city ought to check out the existing buildings before building something new.  Brown had to firmly stand his ground, but the ordinance passed.

I had left already...but my understanding is that bill did not pass