Issue: Fire union agreement
What it means: Firefighters have already signed off on this new agreement, which includes 2 percent pay cuts and employee insurance contributions but guarantees no layoffs for two years. Now, the city council has ratified the agreement.
Bill No. 2010-824
Action: Passed, 15-0.
Jacksonville City Councilman Don Redman said he was only attempting to respond to constituents’ concerns when he filed a bill last week that, if approved, would have urged Duval County residents to celebrate Halloween on Saturday instead of Sunday.
Instead, he asked council President Jack Webb to allow him to withdraw that request, citing the conflict with Saturday’s Georgia-Florida football game among his reasons.
The vote in Tuesday’s council meeting to withdraw was unanimous.
Redman’s last-minute request, which would have been nonbinding, was widely panned as being short-sighted and an unnecessary distraction from more serious council business.
Webb was one of the first to cite the Georgia-Florida conflict as a potential roadblock to Redman’s bill. Initially, Redman had asked that the bill be considered as an emergency item Tuesday.
Jacksonville City Hall's cell phone bill was reduced about $170,000 by cancelling unused phones, prohibiting downloads and making sure users are on appropriate plans.
The changes, including canceling 139 phones that weren't being used and appointing a cell phone coordinator in each department, came in response to a city inspector general report issued a year ago.
That report found "little oversight over cellular expenditures," with used phones still incurring monthly charges and some employees racking up excessive text messaging fees and charges for roaming and calls to directory assistance.
Some users were downloading ringtones, games and videos while others were texting despite not being on a texting plan.
The single largest chunk of the savings - $50,000 - came from canceling unused phones. Such "zombie" phones came from workers leaving the city's employ but their phones remaining active because no one was told to shut them off.
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