JSEB special committee narrows legislative priorities, defers reciprocity and disparity items

Jacksonville's JSEB special committee on April 17 identified several items to move toward legislation and deferred others for further work. Office of General Counsel representative Shannon McGillis summarized the committee's posture at the meeting's close: staff are drafting language for (1) increased minimum program funding, (2) expansion of the JSEB prime program, and (3) refocusing reporting to show dollar payments to JSEB contractors in addition to contract counts. The committee deferred work on reciprocity among regional counties and left the disparity study's long-term placement unresolved.

McGillis told the committee that the centralized database sharing item is an internal component that does not require immediate legislation. She said the increase to capital access would appear as a strong recommendation to the administration (the committee recommended a $500,000 injection and program guideline changes) rather than a legislative mandate. The disparity study remains under review; staff reported the study was originally prompted by a federal lawsuit and that code currently triggers the study only if funding exists.

Why it matters: The referrals will shape forthcoming ordinances or administrative directives on small-business program administration and transparency. Councilmembers and staff said they intend to preserve oversight and reporting mechanisms that track program performance and payments to certified firms.

The committee requested that staff work with the administration on drafting and placement of the proposed language and return with formal wording for the committee's report or subsequent ordinance windows.