Jacksonville council discusses ordinance to tighten right-of-way restoration, bonding and inspections

Council Member Mike Gay opened a discussion on a proposed ordinance aimed at strengthening standards for work in Jacksonville’s rights of way, saying the measure is intended to ensure roads and infrastructure are restored after private or utility work.

Jason Teal, the city’s Office of General Counsel, told the notice meeting that the ordinance grew out of complaints about how some projects were leaving public rights of way. “This all started because council member Gay brought up the issue with the manner in which people that were working our rights of way were leaving it,” Teal said, and said the draft incorporates input from Development Services, Public Works, auditors and industry representatives.

The draft distinguishes small, single-property projects from larger projects that affect multiple properties. For work benefiting just one abutting residential structure, the city would allow an annual surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit — $10,000 for non-utility projects and $50,000 for utility companies, the draft says. For other projects, permittees would need either a project-specific surety (a percentage of the…