[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6470792,"mediaKeyId","5778966-ad26e7802cb03b93bc4f8a40e6cd1387","parentId",5778966,"title","Rules Committee debates use of council's strategic-initiative funds; approves Healthy Jacksonville amendment and multiple small appropriations","audioSeconds",1585,"startMs",2497000,"endMs",4082000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5778966-ad26e7802cb03b93bc4f8a40e6cd1387&start=2497&end=4082","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5778966-ad26e7802cb03b93bc4f8a40e6cd1387/thumbnail_2497000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6470792/Jacksonville/Duval-County/Florida/Rules-Committee-debates-use-of-councils-strategic-initiative-funds-approves-Healthy-Jacksonville-amendment-and-multiple-small-appropriations","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6470792-0e739e58566c25010119499f7259a45e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169142&Signature=h5IvSzZ9AU61YLBTiK9PMHNlNczWh60NV8m7-pDXdlO8CnCCmX3QOPWcmy~rUX3gY1PHXvZntikbB0WdrEIpSX5bQzHd6sLHIEDMVttWZ2kTuPryevVEgVAYsUAx7dN28joUxq1n55SdgINPpxWckvsGew-y1gquLX1OoRBFRWJp2B6SxxSgKukXi3qcb4MGP4IJ6OdRrTogxTaUV4w3bBa1OLijbm0NlzTkWrmMcydzdQ6-Ki-kskvWxwahrHFQwW0ccwnJ2ENbiOc5ltnia3FIiA4E7F2smRC8MN48a5cndiPvzcQpzuIZU0x-n3o3cUqomFKiQH~2i4oMkIVC6g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Jacksonville, FL","date","2025-09-15T00:00:00Z","article","Rules Committee members debated the use of council's strategic-initiative contingency funds for reactivating the mayoral \"Healthy Jacksonville\" council, amended language to limit the appropriation to community health events and reporting, and approved multiple appointments and appropriations—some as emergency measures because the funds would lapse on Sept. 30.

The debate matters because it highlights unresolved questions about the council contingency's purpose, transparency and the minimum award size for microgrants; members pressed for clearer criteria, reporting and a floor for grants drawn from council contingency funds.

Councilmember Dr. Johnson introduced legislation to reallocate strategic-initiative dollars to reactivate the mayoral health-and-wellness council and to support community screenings, public-awareness campaigns and events. Committee members repeatedly raised concerns about whether those dollars would finance a consultant, how the council would ensure accountability and whether the funds represented appropriate use of the council's strategic-contingency allotment. Legislative staff clarified that the sponsor did not request a consultant and that administration staff had initially drafted language that introduced that possibility.

Following questions from auditors and general counsel, the committee approved an amendment to change the bill's stated purpose from procuring a consultant to explicitly funding \"events and opportunities for community health and wellness,\" and it required periodic reporting by recipients. Councilmember Boylan and auditor staff asked for additional safeguards: revised exhibit language, regrant agreements and scoring rubrics to confirm organizational capacity; the committee adopted those auditor-suggested amendments.

Committee members also debated whether to let the appropriation lapse to reserves if an entity on the noncompliance list failed to cure its deficiencies. For one organization that remained on the City's noncompliance list, the committee accepted an amendment that held the appropriation in reserve until the organization came into compliance and set a 60-day deadline (to Nov. 15) after which the funds would revert to operating reserves if the noncompliant group had not been cleared.

The Rules Committee voted on a bundle of items during the meeting. Notable outcomes included:
- Approval of appointment/reappointment 20250669 for Rochelle Gross (7-0); the committee recorded her address and volunteers history and voted to send the nomination to full council.
- Approval of appointment 20250670 as amended to correct a term date (7-0).
- Approval of appointment 20250671 as amended to correct a term date (7-0).
- Emergency approval of Daniel Blanchard to the Jacksonville Housing Authority board, 20250710 (7-0); Blanchard introduced himself as a local land developer and several council members added their cosponsorships.
- Approval of Neighborhoods appropriation 20250645 as amended (4-3); the amendment reduced the appropriation to $31,227 and the bill was revised to specify uses tied to community fitness/wellness programming.
- Approval of a series of smaller strategic-initiative appropriations and emergencies (examples below) after committee amendments to add auditing or JSO oversight where required and to attach certification exhibits: 20250656 (5-2), 20250657 (5-2), 20250664 (5-2), 20250682 (5-2, emergency), 20250683 (5-2, emergency), 20250690 (7-0, emergency), 20250691 (4-3, emergency), and multiple later items approved by voice or ballot with tallies noted in the record.

Several committee members, notably past-president Salem and Councilmember Boylan, said the council should consider setting a minimum award floor and stricter documentation requirements for microgrants from contingency funds going forward; others argued for consistency with prior cycles and urged that recipients must produce post-award reports. Councilmember Johnson said he would require reporting from recipients and that his intent was to provide a modest pool of funds to help reactivate the board's activities rather than to fund large ongoing contracts.

The committee applied specific procedural conditions where appropriate: emergency designations for items whose funding would lapse on Sept. 30, auditor-requested revisions to term sheets and contract start dates adjusted to reflect the fact that some awards should not begin until recipients come off the noncompliance list. For the NCI item (20250472), the committee approved multiple technical and auditor-recommended amendments and approved the bill as amended (7-0); the amended bill requires executed regrant agreements and auditor review of scoring procedures.

The committee chair closed the meeting after a final round of votes and thanked members for robust committee work that included amendments designed to improve transparency and oversight.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Jacksonville, FL - Rules Committee","oneSentenceSummary","Council members debated whether to use strategic-initiative contingency funds for reactivating a health-and-wellness advisory council, amended the bill to specify community health events and reporting, and approved a slate of appointments and small appropriations with several emergency actions and conditions tied to compliance and reversion.","taxTitle","Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida","taxId",2881,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6470794,"Employee Services outlines appointed-official hiring process to Rules Committee",597,217000,814000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5778966-ad26e7802cb03b93bc4f8a40e6cd1387&start=217&end=814","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5778966-ad26e7802cb03b93bc4f8a40e6cd1387/thumbnail_217000.jpg","/articles/6470794/Jacksonville/Duval-County/Florida/Employee-Services-outlines-appointed-official-hiring-process-to-Rules-Committee","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6470794-91d7930e01c7669ba161b7f0d0b82fef/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169142&Signature=ieckOh9759GmmW149PZsqRl-rSOB17Gy-bD3xyQhsztG2grEbOCJEx9797a8dR6QPaUdwHamnVHXX-XUEyCkEoXiYBR~ek6d4lkzG9-Y0gHMoK7IKtJWK8Scb8ejiwAiCzInhbcM1~8Mo1gwnm7i-reZQKza1tO~wAHNXNkF-W0Onr~KhkU3BMHEfV1jREyhJONHBh9cldIV-pkzzszqGpwiz3G1aY9LIABoF0STJInEqwrF5tib53yQQomlEAtBMdYVfYqSUMGJSci4HyI7g3v2DY6scupaET1bYwXyqdjiD1-G0L4OdD2aP4rJlZr3~y7mplpSdQgjYkhArtGYuA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Employee Services gave Rules Committee members an overview of the appointed-official hiring process used by the City of Jacksonville, explaining legal authority, screening steps and interview practices.

The presentation matters because appointed officials are mayoral appointments that serve at the appointing authority's pleasure yet perform high-level city functions; the committee sought clarity about how candidates are screened and how subjectivity is limited in the process.

Hayes, an Employee Services representative, told the committee that \"according to the municipal code, appointed official appointments are made by the mayor and confirmed by city council\" and that these appointed positions are full-time at-will roles that receive benefits similar to civil-service employees but are not covered by civil-service protections. Hayes said the office verifies degree requirements, applies veterans' preference laws at every step and develops supplemental application questions to assess eligibility.

Hayes described the operational steps: reviewing and updating job descriptions, deciding on internal or external posting venues (City of Jacksonville website and professional outlets such as the Florida League of Cities), screening applications against stated qualifications, verifying degrees from accredited institutions and using structured interview panels that include senior leadership, an Employee Services representative and a subject-matter expert. She said the city focuses interviews on 11 core competencies (including leadership, business acumen and emotional intelligence) and uses behavioral and situational questions. \"We use a structured interview process with both behavioral and situational questions for our appointed officials,\" Hayes said.

On post-interview procedure, Hayes described same-day debriefs in which panelists discuss strengths, concerns and red flags and then tier candidates into \"strongly recommend,\" \"consider\" and \"do not recommend\" groups to share with administration. She said Employee Services sometimes compiles a matrix summarizing education, experience and responses to supplemental questions to aid comparison and that high-level numeric scoring for executives is uncommon in the office because scoring can overshadow qualitative judgment on soft skills.

Committee members asked clarifying questions. Chair Garrett Dennis and others pressed Hayes about whether numeric scoring might reduce subjectivity; Dennis said that in his experience objective scoring reduced bias. Councilmember Ken Amaro asked how the city's approach compares with private-sector practices; Hayes said practices vary across local employers and agencies (she cited JEA, JSO and Jacksonville Housing Authority as using scoring in some cases and other agencies not). Hayes said Employee Services has used structured interviews for many years and that staff strive for consistency and due diligence.

Committee members requested follow-up materials including the Employee Services handout Hayes referenced and confirmation of the municipal-code citation Hayes used in the presentation. Hayes also confirmed that the hiring process aligns with guidance from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and noted that degree verification and veterans' preference are applied as required. The committee took no formal action on policy changes during the meeting; Hayes' presentation was informational.

The committee chair thanked Hayes for the overview and said the Rules Committee may request additional briefings, including an Inspector General update on related matters in the future.","Employee Services described the city's process for hiring appointed officials, emphasizing municipal-code authority, structured interviews, competency assessment and record checks; council members raised questions about scoring and comparisons with private-sector practice.","actionData","errors"]

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Rules Committee debates use of council's strategic-initiative funds; approves Healthy Jacksonville amendment and multiple small appropriations

Employee Services outlines appointed-official hiring process to Rules Committee