New polls show 65% support Human Rights Ordinance; 73% oppose Brown's JEA deal

[Tacachale]

More bad news for Brown. A new UNF poll shows that 65% of Jacksonville residents support updating the Human Rights Ordinance to protect sexual orientation. Additionally, a whopping 73% oppose his plan to take money from JEA to help plug the pension hole.

http://members.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2014-02-24/story/unf-poll-finds-73-percent-oppose-mayors-pension-proposal-use-higher-jea

UNF poll finds 73 percent oppose mayor's pension proposal to use higher JEA contributions

By David Bauerlein Mon, Feb 24, 2014 @ 9:02 am | updated Mon, Feb 24, 2014 @ 12:35 pm

Mayor Alvin Brown’s proposal to secure more money from JEA to shore up the city’s Police and Fire Pension Fund faces strong opposition from Duval County residents, according to the results of a University of North Florida poll.

The poll found that 73 percent oppose Brown’s proposal, which JEA officials have said could lead to higher utility rates. Brown argues it won’t force higher rates and he is opposed to higher rates.

The poll question asked whether the city should require JEA “to increase its annual contribution to the city to help pay the pension obligation. This increased contribution might lead to higher electric rates.”

...

Additionally,

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The poll found growing support for Jacksonville expanding its human rights ordinances to cover protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Support for that measure was at 65 percent, up from 58 percent the last time UNF polled on it a year ago.

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This is bad news for those council members who kept claiming the HRO was a "minority" issue only a small group of Jacksonville residents wanted. It's especially bad news for Brown, who killed the bill behind the scenes to avoid having it land on his desk. Sorry guys, this is one you won't be able to punt down the road much longer.

[Tacachale]

Here's the press release with all the data:

http://www.unf.edu/publicrelations/media_relations/press/2014/Poll_Reveals_Residents_Oppose_JEA_Increasing_Annual_Contribution_for_Pension_Obligation.aspx

It also shows some other interesting things about what people think the city's top priority should be this year. The top ones were Improving public education (27%, up from 24% last year), improving the economy and creating jobs (26%, down from 37%) reducing crime (20%, up from 13%).

[thelakelander]

Mayor Alvin Brown pushes back on UNF pension poll. An email sent to Metro Jacksonville from the Mayor's Office:

The below headline and accompanying story is in this morning’s Florida Times-Union. With all due respect to the newspaper, neither the headline nor the lead paragraph are correct.
 
http://members.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2014-02-24/story/unf-poll-finds-73-percent-oppose-mayors-pension-proposal-use-higher-jea
 
The UNF poll question described the JEA proposal as follows: “Require JEA, formerly known as Jacksonville Electric Authority, to increase its annual contribution to the city to help pay the pension obligation. The increased contribution might lead to higher electric rates.”
 
The above poll language does not describe Mayor Brown’s proposal. His proposal would not “require” JEA to do something in exchange for nothing. Instead, he has suggested a partnership in which JEA would make an increased contribution to the City of Jacksonville for a limited period of time, and in exchange the City would help JEA find savings and revenue opportunities to offset the increased contribution. For example, we believe the City could help JEA save more than $500 million in pension costs – nearly the entire total of the limited-time increased JEA contribution.
 
Even more importantly, Mayor Brown does not support a rate increase. He has repeatedly explained why his proposal would not lead to a rate increase.  The poll question nonetheless suggests that “this increased contribution might lead to higher electric rates.” The poll did not ask respondents how they would feel about the proposal if the increased contribution was made as Mayor Brown suggests – without a rate increase. The results to such a question would likely have been very different, but it was not asked.
 
As a result, it is inaccurate for the headline to read that “UNF poll finds 73 percent oppose mayor's pension proposal to use higher JEA contributions”. The Mayor’s proposal does not involve a rate increase and the people who took the poll were never asked about the JEA proposal without the possibility of a rate increase.
 
The lead paragraph is similarly incorrect when it says that “Mayor Alvin Brown’s proposal to secure more money from JEA to shore up the city’s Police and Fire Pension Fund faces strong opposition from Duval County residents, according to the results of a University of North Florida poll.”  Mayor Brown’s proposal, which does not involve a rate increase, was never tested by the UNF pollsters.

[Tacachale]

The professor who created the poll has in turn responded to the Mayor's Office's claim:

The mayor’s office has been steadfast that JEA rates would not go up if JEA contributed the money. However, in response to an earlier version of Brown’s proposal, JEA board Chairman Mike Hightower said such a contribution would likely lead to a rate increase.

...

UNF Assistant Professor Michael Binder, who conducted the poll, said the issue has become very polarized, with JEA saying unequivocally that rates would increase and Brown’s office saying rates would not.

In order to meet the two views in the middle, he worded the question as:

The city of Jacksonville currently has an unfunded liability of nearly $1.7 billion dollars for its pension system that serves police officers and firefighters. These pension benefits were promised to current public safety employees and retirees when they were hired. Currently, about 15 percent of the city’s annual operating budget is used to pay the pension obligation with the city’s obligation increasing over the next 20 years. The increased contributions for the pension reduce the amount in the city budget for other city services. A number of proposals have been offered to reduce the city’s pension obligation. Do you oppose or support the following proposals:

Require JEA, formally known as Jacksonville Electric Authority, to increase its annual contribution to the city to help pay the pension obligation. This increased contribution might lead to higher electric rates?

Binder said, “The wording was the fairest representation of pretty contentious issue.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2014/02/24/mayor-alvin-brown-pushes-back-on-unf.html?page=all

[Tacachale]

In related news, the Atlantic Beach City Commission is discussing whether to move forward on its own HRO tonight.

[Charles Hunter]

The survey only asked about "sexual orientation" - which would have matched the amended (weakened) bill that died due to last minute flip-flops, not the original bill that included "gender identity."

[BridgeTroll]

The professor who created the poll has in turn responded to the Mayor's Office's claim:

The mayor’s office has been steadfast that JEA rates would not go up if JEA contributed the money. However, in response to an earlier version of Brown’s proposal, JEA board Chairman Mike Hightower said such a contribution would likely lead to a rate increase.

...

UNF Assistant Professor Michael Binder, who conducted the poll, said the issue has become very polarized, with JEA saying unequivocally that rates would increase and Brown’s office saying rates would not.

In order to meet the two views in the middle, he worded the question as:

The city of Jacksonville currently has an unfunded liability of nearly $1.7 billion dollars for its pension system that serves police officers and firefighters. These pension benefits were promised to current public safety employees and retirees when they were hired. Currently, about 15 percent of the city’s annual operating budget is used to pay the pension obligation with the city’s obligation increasing over the next 20 years. The increased contributions for the pension reduce the amount in the city budget for other city services. A number of proposals have been offered to reduce the city’s pension obligation. Do you oppose or support the following proposals:

Require JEA, formally known as Jacksonville Electric Authority, to increase its annual contribution to the city to help pay the pension obligation. This increased contribution might lead to higher electric rates?

Binder said, “The wording was the fairest representation of pretty contentious issue.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2014/02/24/mayor-alvin-brown-pushes-back-on-unf.html?page=all

Audit the JEA.

http://www.coj.net/city-council/docs/council-auditor/franchise-fee-and-public-service-tax-audit-report-.aspx

[Tacachale]

^Haha

[tufsu1]

BridgeTroll....please don't confuse rhetoric with facts

[Jimmy]

That's a very good point, Charles.  I've asked UNF to reconsider its polling language to be more consistent with our goal of a fully-inclusive ordinance that includes sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.  But they've been asking the question with reference only to sexual orientation for a while...

The survey only asked about "sexual orientation" - which would have matched the amended (weakened) bill that died due to last minute flip-flops, not the original bill that included "gender identity."

[icarus]

BridgeTroll put up a link to the audit performed by the City Council.  I would not consider this in any stretch a full audit.

An independent firm performs an full external audit of the JEA every year.  The creditors and regulators require it.

I've heard grumblings on here of hidden accounts, treasure troves, and fantastical investments held by JEA.  I'd be real interested in learning what specific things people are looking for with the audit that aren't disclosed in the audit performed by the external firm.

[mtraininjax]

I'd be real interested in learning what specific things people are looking for with the audit that aren't disclosed in the audit performed by the external firm.

Wouldn't we all! Wouldn't we all!