Jacksonville District 9 City Councilman Garrett Dennis wants to change how JEA board members are appointed.
During a noticed meeting Jan. 6 at City Hall, Dennis said he plans to reintroduce a bill calling for a Nov. 3 voter referendum to change the Jacksonville City Charter to give Council the authority to appoint three members to the JEA board, rather than all seven being appointed by the mayor.
That’s according to WJCT News partner the Jacksonville Daily Record.
The four remaining board members would be appointed by the mayor but still subject to Council confirmation.
The legislation also calls for stricter qualifications to serve on the JEA board. The Charter requires an appointee to be a Duval County resident and registered voter for six consecutive months before being allowed to serve. A draft version of Dennis’ bill increases that to five consecutive years.
Dennis said he will file the bill by April 8, the latest date legislation can be considered and still make the November ballot.
Dennis is bringing back his proposal after the JEA board voted Dec. 24 to end its invitation to negotiate a possible sale of the utility to nine private companies.
An expanded version of this story is at JaxDailyRecord.com.
