JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tensions between the mayor’s office and Jacksonville City Council are once again boiling over.
This time, it’s over a now-scrapped policy proposed by the mayor’s office that would have restricted how council members could talk to city agencies to solve issues for constituents.
When all else fails, constituents often contact their local council members to try and get results from their local government.
Councilmember Nick Howland (R-Group 2 At-Large) argued the new communications policy put forth by the mayor’s office threatened to undermine local elected officials’ ability to solve those problems.
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“They’re throwing a barrier between council and the administration now and it’s going to slow down productivity,” said Howland.
Citing a change in state law and a desire to track member requests, the mayor’s office’s proposal would have required council members to submit requests through a system similar to the MyJax city services portal.
“We put forward a plan to streamline executive and legislative branch communications around constituent needs in an effort to bring more transparency and efficiency to the process,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.
Under the policy, city employees would also have to log any interactions with council members, get approval for requests that require department action, and would be instructed to “not informally handle issues for council members”.
“When calls come in from council members, it’s a distraction and they don’t know what to prioritize and what have you,” said Mayor Donna Deegan’s Chief of Staff Mike Weinstein during a meeting with council members on Monday.
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Tensions boiled over during the meeting, with council members from both parties expressing frustration and concern the policy would hamstring their ability to get results for constituents.
“I’ve never felt like I was a distraction when I’ve communicated with your departments. That’s a good thing, but I think if that’s the mentality that y’all have, that needs to change. This communication process doesn’t need to change, y’all’s mentality needs to change. That is garbage,” said Councilmember Joe Carlucci (R-District 5).
By the end of the meeting, Weinstein ultimately agreed to rescind the policy and work with council to improve the plan.
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Still, Howland questions the need for any change.
“Council members have found ways to be effective for their constituents. I don’t think there needs to be anything done and I don’t understand why there had to be in the first place,” said Howland.
In a statement, the mayor’s office noted after the communication plan was not well received by council members, it is now, “Working closely with City Council on creating a policy that works for all parties”.
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