I made a discovery when perusing City Council bills recently. Ordinance 2008-1059 appropriates $184,754 for various water related environmental studies to UNF. The studies are not being competitively bidded because there is an exception in the ordinance code (126.107(f)) that exempts government entities like UNF from competitive bidding.

Section 126.107(f) of the Ordinance Code is as follows:

Unless ordered by the Mayor or Council or otherwise required by the Jacksonville Ordinance Code, the following supplies, contractual services, professional design services, professional services, capital improvements and/or sales transactions are exempt from competitive solicitation:
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(f) Supplies or services or commodities provided by governmental entity or agencies.

So even if a private organization is able to do the study at a cheaper price, it will not be allowed to compete with UNF. One would have to ask is why are government entities like UNF so afraid of competing with private companies in the awarding of city government contracts?

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My first observation was that Councilman Clay Yarborough had done his homework. He appropriately  scrutinized all the bills. He questioned the legislation as if he was spending his own money.  He expected government spending to be appropriate use of taxpayer money.

I was disappointed in City Council members Michael Corrigan and Daniel Davis for their cavalier attitude towards a Tangible Property Inventory audit that implied much lack of accountability in the Peyton administration especially in the Planning Department.

Corrigan and Davis said that they were not concerned about missing property (computers) because it was 8 years old.  One item was identified as 22 years old and another was identified as a missing outboard motor. No one asked what the values of these items were when they were found missing.   It was like “okay, stuff happens”.

I heard little about making sure that taxpayers assets were better protected in the future. Councilman Stephen Joost did make a mild attempt at questioning the inventory process.

Another problem is that the City Council is giving away millions of taxpayer dollars in interest free loans for housing and rehabilitation of existing housing. The testimony indicated we have already spent rehabilitation money on 3000 houses and have a little over 2000 on the waiting list.

The multi-year/multi-million dollar Trail Ridge Landfill no bid contract (2008-538) was deferred in both the Rules and Finance committees on November 17th.

Tony Bates, President
Concerned Taxpayers Duval County

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