Newby shows leadership as council president
City Council President Sam Newby deserves a big Wink for ending a series of meetings that were counter-productive to law and order in Jacksonville. Called “Safer Together” workshops, they were held over the past year by two council members, Joyce Morgan and Michael Boylan. The purpose was to examine the need for police reform. They […]
City’s way of disbursing extra dollars needs a tune-up
Clearly, the city’s process for donating your money to charity is out of kilter. It was on display when the City Council voted Tuesday to give away $4.6 million to local non-profit agencies. It was passed as an emergency although the council had a year to decide how to spend the money. It was money […]
Homeowners are unhappy about mayor’s recycling decision
Stopping the separate pickup of household items to be recycled has not been a popular decision. Online commentators have been blasting Mayor Lenny Curry for temporarily stopping the separate curbside pickup, requiring homeowners to drop off their own materials or have it picked up with the regular trash. But some people obviously are confused. You […]
Councilman Dennis is generating unnecessary legislation, again
City Council Member Garrett Dennis is becoming the fountainhead of bad bills. While they may be well-intended, many are ill-conceived, counter-productive or just plain useless. The prefect example is his proposal for a citizen review board. Such boards have been tried elsewhere, and accomplish nothing. Dennis, a Democrat, wants to add another layer to the […]
Lenny’s Lawn won’t be flooded, we are assured
More questions are being asked about Lenny’s Lawn, the grassy site of the former Jacksonville Landing. City Haul, which doesn’t like to be questioned, appears to be irritated. This is a reaction Eye on Jacksonville has experienced numerous times. Our own questioning led to a blackout on access to the administration. People had wondered why […]
Downtown Library: Another mystery story from City Haul
Jacksonville’s very expensive downtown library is shut down, leaving the public to wonder why it closed and how long it will be closed. This seems typical of the Lenny Curry administration these days. No one seems to know who’s on first base. “There are no immediate plans to reopen,” the mayor’s information gatekeeper told News4Jax. […]
A year has been wasted by the council’s “safer together” workshops
Liberals on the City Council again are agitating for “police reform,” which means hampering the police and aiding the criminal community. Two council members were named last year to hold workshops and listen to people gripe about the police. They were called “safer together” workshops, whatever that means. They have finished, and despite failing to […]
Jerry Holland ends the speculation
Local voters who were looking forward to Jerry Holland running for mayor were dismayed when he announced he is running for supervisor of elections again. Currently the property appraiser, Holland was supervisor from 2005 to 2015. The current supervisor, Mike Hogan, is term limited. Hogan, Holland and Tax Collector Jim Overton all are former members […]
City Council votes for higher property taxes
City Council has made it official. Property taxes will go up. The tax rate will remain the same, but as Eye on Jacksonville noted earlier, values have increased and those who enjoyed an increase in value will pay higher tax bills. The council had the option to roll back the tax rate the same way […]
Mayor’s proposed budget contains the usual blarney
People are catching on. In comments posted below a local media story online about the new city budget, someone said: “The mayor singled out the long-overdue septic tank project, saying it was a promise made to local neighborhoods decades ago. Now, he said, thanks to the “Jobs For Jax” program funded by the city’s gas […]