Good morning everyone.

I'm gonna gavel in the uh transportation energy and utilities committee meeting for July 21.

It is 9 01 at the moment.

Um I will have introduction starting from my left.

Stephen Libby, Council Research.

Harla Shell, Office of General Counsel.

Good morning, Tower 1 o'clock, Murray, District 9.

Kenamara, City Council, District 1.

Councilman Reginald Guy Fanny Jillian, District 8.

Nick Holland at large, group three, just visiting.

Welcome, Jimmy Peluso.

Introduce yourself, Councilmember.

Good morning.

Jimmy Pulso District 7.

Okay.

Thank you.

I'd like to recognize our council president, Mr.

Nick Howland for remarks uh in reference to our committee and function.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Uh I have just been attending every standing committee just to welcome everybody back for the new council year.

Uh hope everyone had the opportunity to get some rest um and prepare for the council year ahead.

Uh we all sat through a terrific meeting yesterday, um, getting a copy of the proposed budget.

I'm sure everybody has started to pour into it already, not just Ed and team.

Um gosh, but the council author's got their work cut out for them.

Um that said, uh TEU light agenda today, but um by no means uh should it be that way.

Um I'll have a conversation or maybe we'll conversation with the rules uh chair's ECA and maybe see if we can't uh figure out how to ensure that more legislation gets through TEU because it's a pretty broad committee with transportation transportation, energy and utilities and um anything in particular related to uh JTA and JEA often comes through this committee.

So I think it'll probably be a fairly busy year.

Um that said it's a strong stellar team with a great chair and vice chair, and uh really appreciate everyone um serving on this committee.

Look forward to a great council year.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I'd like to welcome Councilmember uh Matt Carlutri.

Thank you.

My apologies to you, Council President for being late.

As of July 1, some uh new rules regarding attendance and excuses were uh went into effect.

I'll have Ms.

Carla Shell um cite uh the changes.

Good morning through the chair to the committee.

So as you know, July 1, there uh there's an effective change to the council rules, which provides that um no more than one council member may be excused from a regular meeting of a standing committee, with the exception that additional absences can be authorized for a medical reason of either you or a relative.

There's also an exception for military service.

Um approval needs to be in writing to the chair, and he can go over how he wants to receive that.

Also, um, of note, quorum is now five for standing committee.

So keep that in mind when you need to um step out for personal reasons.

Um that the quorum of a standing committee is five members, and I'll take any other questions you might have.

Thank you, Michelle.

Any questions for Michelle.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, and people might recall I believe Carla, that was something that we approved as a body in March or April.

I think it was 2026 0136.

Um that was legislation proposed by councilmember Boylan.

We discussed it, it went to committee.

We actually discussed it in on the council floor and then passed it.

Um so that's not Nick Howland as Council President's new rules.

That's the rules that we establish upon ourselves and amended.

Thanks.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I'd like to welcome Councilmember Jacobi Pittman.

Um in reference to how this uh chair will handle that.

Um excuses uh usually some things are unavoidable.

So at the last minute, I'm I'm pretty lenient, I'm acceptable.

Uh but if possible, a day ahead of committee meeting would be uh fair and and and responsive, I think.

Um early departures can be the same day of uh and and late arrival day of as well.

So um as I was sharing earlier, I I I think that uh the new rules are um most effective with uh the city council as a whole, and hopefully um it doesn't have to the weight of it doesn't have to be felt within committee if everyone would just uh do what they're supposed to do.

So uh thank you all for being here this morning.

Uh if you turn to your agenda, there is uh I'm sorry.

I uh sorry, Miss Clark Murray, I did not see you.

Go ahead.

All right, thank you, and good morning again to everyone.

And I know it goes without saying, but I'm gonna say it anyway because I know seeing something and hearing something will help you to remember it.

So previously, and I'm gonna say at least for the past four years, committees have started in the morning at 9 30.

So now it's nine o'clock.

So just a reminder to everyone about it being nine o'clock.

In fact, I like the nine o'clock better than I like the 9 30.

So if they uh meet uh it helps me to get here.

So um just a reminder to everyone, nine o'clock.

And I'm not scolding anyone, I'm just using my my teacher hat right now because to hear it and to see it helps.

All right.

Thank you, Chair.

Councilmember Carlucci.

Uh I apologize again for getting here late.

Um the um I don't want to be late.

This is an important committee.

I I got in though right in time to hear our council president mention that uh he would try to direct more legislation to this committee, and I really appreciate that because with everything we heard about in the budget uh with infrastructure, utilities, transportation, and so forth, uh utilities would include in my uh opinion uh the uh septic tank um uh replacements that are generally guided by uh JEA with the partnership of the city, uh road resurfacing, drainage, uh repairs, and so I am in hopes that uh uh this committee can rise in its importance to this council.

Um I just have to say um for somebody uh who's served a long time with this council to or anybody on the council, new people with new ideas, fresh ideas, uh to be appointed to a committee that comes in and there's one bill on second reading.

I mean uh I I just I just think that's a waste of uh talent.

Uh I think it's a waste of new ideas, I think it's a waste of experience, and I'm really pleased and happy with the direction that you're taking this council so far, and I appreciate your sensitivity to that and your understanding of that, sir.

And um so again, I've mentioned this to you before, but I wish you well and uh and and want to help you have a good year this year.

And because I see that flowing from your end towards us, and I want to extend that to you.

Uh I still will speak my mind because I don't leave my first amendment rights at the door, nor do you, sir.

But uh, but I see a real effort to try to uh to try to use this council as a whole for the betterment of the city of Jacksonville.

So uh let's see if we can thicken up this agenda a little bit so we can be a part of what's happening uh in this city council, which means we will have a role in what's happening in the great city of Jacksonville.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Carlucci, for your remarks.

Uh uh in that vein uh in our agenda discussion.

I um I'm looking forward uh through the yes rest of the year where we can have uh not just a beefy agenda but uh presentations from those entities that are uh like the septic tank replacement program, things of that nature.

Jacksonville Transportation Authority, the Jacksonville Electric Authority.

There are there are a number of things that are taking place within not just the city, but its independent authorities that this committee needs to be aware of, and so I'm looking forward to uh presentations from those entities, and I'm also open to suggestions from committee members as to what they think would be uh great information opportunities to educate us so we can do our jobs more effectively.

Uh that said, there's one item on the agenda, it's on second.

It's bill 2026 0540.

No action is required.

Um I've invited Mr.

Paul Hardin to uh come and give us a uh brief overview on uh legislation that will be coming up at City Council on Tuesday night.

Mr.

Harden, you have uh three minutes.

If you need more, let me know.

Thank you.

I've got a lot I can talk about.

Mr.

Hardin, you have three minutes.

Um we have pending a uh uh marina construction project going on down by the four seasons and the in the office building that's there.

There's a submerged land lease between the city and the state, allowing the city to use lands of the state uh for that marina.

Um the marina is has been there a long time and and has been subject of a land lease for quite a while.

We have an amendment to the lease, though.

We're adding about 1200 square feet.

We're adding some some uh uh other amenities to be used down there.

Um we'd like to have that available for the first football game, and to do that, we need to pass the submerged land lease through the council on an emergency basis.

Uh Councilman Howland was kind enough to allow us to put that in the legislation.

It is not on your agenda today because it didn't have a number of it.

It it will be on the agenda uh for Tuesday night.

We're hoping to have an in and out uh introduction and pass out.

And um because we're we're going through it that quick way, uh we uh Mr.

Michaelis and I have been coming to the committees uh just to answer any questions and let you know we're available if you see the bill on the agenda and you have questions between now and Tuesday night.

Um it's not very complicated.

Uh it's it's it's basically an extension of an existing submerged land lease.

I'll be happy to answer your questions, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Mr.

Hardin.

Took a look at the bill yesterday.

I don't have any questions.

I see Mr.

Howland is in the queue.

Yeah, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I just wanted to thank uh Mr.

Hardin for um coming to this committee, and he came to the two yesterday and he'll come to finance um later today.

And he's doing that because we all know that when it's an emergency in and out, um you hate doing committee work in council night.

So this is an opportunity for anyone to ask um Mr.

Hardin questions uh for the bill, and it's just important to his clients to have it done ahead of the season.

So um that's why it's on emergency in and out.

Thank you.

It's what I call proactive, uh, Mr.

President, being out front.

Any question from committee members?

Uh thank you, Mr.

Hardin.

You took less than three minutes, which I find uh I'm very grateful of.

Thank you.

Uh do we have any public comment cards?

None.

Uh is there anything else to come before this committee this morning?

Can I get a motion for adjournment?

We stand adjourned.