2004 Clean City Implementation Report

8/2/2019 2004 Clean City Implementation Report

1/8

1

MAKING JACKSONVILLE A CLEAN CITYFINAL IMPLEMENTATION REPORT

Making Jacksonville a Clean City was released on May 29, 2002.? Implementation efforts started in October 2, 2002. Susan Siegmund chaired theImplementation Task Force.

Members of the Task Force included Sarah Boren, Bill Brinton, Del Delumyea, Brenna Durden,Sue Jantz, Rick Seibler, and Steve Tool. Sadly, in early 2004, Del Delumyea passed away. .The following presentations and meetings occurred as part of the implementation effort:2002: 2003: 2004:

Annual Clean Up jacksonville Day initiated by Council President Matt Carlucci

presentation to First Coast Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) -- Maymeeting with Mayor Peyton - October.meeting with City Council President Lad Daniels -- December.meeting with City Council President-elect Elaine Brown -- January.meeting with Susie Wiles, aide to Mayor Peyton -- February.presentations to Keep jacksonville Beautiful Commission and City Council'sRecreation, Community Development, and Education subcommittee - Februarymeeting with Michael Blaylock, JacksonvilleTransportation Authority -- July

The Task Force met and made presentations more than 15 times in the past two years.Results are as follows:

1. The City of Jacksonville should develop a strategy that implements a zero-tolerance policy for litter in the community. The strategy should have sixelements:a) The Jacksonville Mayor should propos, and the City Council should approvea zero-tolerance litter policy for the City of Jacksonville.b) The Mayor should authorize development of a master plan to implement thezero-tolerance policy. The planning process should include review of allapplicable policies and laws. The master plan should integrate the three typesof litter-reduction activities:


2/8

2

Prevention of litter through enhanced public-information campaignsfimproved waste-collections services, and sufficient provision of wastereceptacles in public areas;

Effective enforcement of all laws and statutes that support the zero-tolerance litter policy; and

Clean up Jitter that remains despite efforts to prevent it and to enforceagainst it.

c) Agencies in the City of Jacksonville responsible for enforcing existing anti-litter laws should effectively and completely enforce all of thepolicies andlaws, consistent with the master plan.

d) TheMayor should establish by executive order a litter reduction department ordivision to implement the master plan. Relevant resources from existingdepartments should be consolidated into the litter reduction department ordivision based on the three functions of the master plan. Current resourcesdedicated to litter prevention, enforcement of litter laws, and cleanup shouldbe reorganized andmanaged by the head of the department or division.

e) TheMayor should establish by executive order a Litter Reduction Commissionthat reflects broad representation from business, medical, military, nonprofit,and City organizations, as well as individual citizens. Active participantsshould include at least Greenscape, JaxPride, JEA Duval County SchoolBoard, the JacksonviJ/eSheriff's Office (JSO), the Neighborhoods Department,Solid Waste and Resource Management (SWARM)fthe Interagency SpecialInvestigations Unit (ISIU), the Department of Public Works, Department ofParks, Recreation and Entertainment, Jacksonville Transportation Authority(JTA), the Duval County Maintenance Division of the Florida Department ofTransportation (FOOT),the St. Johns River WaterManagementDistrict, theRiverkeeper, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Departmentof Environmental Protection, and concerned citizens. The charge of the LitterReduction Commission should be to oversee the progress of the master plan,hold the head of the litter reduction department or division accountable for theimplementation of the master plan for litter reduction, and ensure thatJacksonville becomes a clean city. The Commission should establish andmaintain official affiliation with Keep Florida Beautiful and KeepAmericaBeautiful.

f) The Jacksonville City Council should provide sufficient funding to implementthe zero-tolerance litter policy fully through the implementation of themasterplan. Funding should support the consolidation of current City services thatprevent, enforce against, and clean up litter. Funding should also support theLitter Reduction Commission. First meeting of Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission was December 2003. On December 15, 2004 City Council bill 2002-909 becomes law, providing $3million to implement a citywide zero-tolerance policy for litter. The new law callsfor mandatory, weekly cleanups of bus stops, major roads, and parks.


3/8

3

Note: The intent of the study committee is that the litter reduction department or division shouldimplement recommendations 2 through 9 when it is operational. Until that time, exlstlnqdepartments and agencies should begin implementing recommendations 2 through 9.

2. The City Council should authorize SWARM's Compliance Officers to enforceresidential waste-collection ordinances and issue tickets to violators. Following the 2002 mayoral election, the Solid Waste and ResourceManagement Department became the Environmental Resource ManagementDepartment The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office plans to increase litter enforcement through newCommunity Service Officers.

3. SWARMshould provide for periodic clean up by contractors of litter from the St.Johns River, its tributaries, and wetlands.

II The Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission will further investigate possible fundingthrough the American Heritage River designation.

4. TheMayor's Office should redesign its enti-litter public information to target a broadrange of Jacksonville citizens through several different messages targeted to specifictypes of citizens.

2003 Mayor's Office discontinues contract with marketing and public relations firm andcreates an in-house campaign. Public service announcements win Keep America Beautiful Award in 2002 and2003. Public service announcements awarded a Media Partnership award from KeepFlorida Beautiful in 2002. "Don't Trash Jacksonville" website aimed toward K-12 students made available.2004

Radio and television announcements designed to reach youth, homeowners, andsmokers air.


4/8

4

5. SWARMshould supplement FDOT's 12annual litter cleanup cycles on majorhighways to keep them continually clean.

Task Force met with Michael Blaylock, Executive Director of JTA, who pledged toconvene Jacksonville Sheriff's Office representatives and City representatives todiscuss use of trusteys (prisoners in County jail) and so-called weekend warriors(obligated to community service) to clean up bus stops.

6. The City of Jacksonville should take responsibility to ensure the availability ofsufficient numbers of waste receptacles, as determined by the master plan, toeliminate litter at public bus stops, in City parks, and in public areas.

Anti-Litter Bill calls for trash receptacles to be placed at public bus stops andshelters, public boat ramps, public transportation stops, and public spaces,where litter frequently appears. Task Force met with Executive Director of JTA and learned that it changed itspolicy concerning food on the bus. Riders may bring their trash on the busesall of which now have a receptacle. The Mayor's Parks Task Force issues its final report in January 2005. Thereport addresses waste receptacles in City parks.

7. To improve enforcement, the ISIUshould develop a program that allows citizens toreport a variety of violations that contribute to litter. Reports of violations should befollowed up with a warning letter from the JSO and educational materials.

"Operation Litterbug" took place on Atlantic Blvd - 3 warning citations forthrowing cigarette butts, felony arrest, and traffic citations issued. C.O.P.S Unit in Arlington have responded to residents' request for attentionto litter violations by spending 4 hours per month on litter. Sheriff hires fifty Community Service Officers who can issue litter citations. In-service trainings and roll-call videos now used to educate officers on theeffects of litter on neighborhoods and enforcement of anti-litter laws. Police Academy teachers now use pages from Making Jacksonville a CleanCity in the classroom. In 2002, 3 tickets were issued for Vio la t ing Jacksonville's litter ordinance. In 2004, 11 tickets were issued for the same offense.


5/8

5

8. SWARM should collect properly placed residential trash from all lots, whether theyare occupied, unoccupied or vacant. The Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission has indicated that it mightencourage the Environmental Resource Management Department to adopt hispolicy.

9. SWARM should make mobile hazardous-waste collection more convenient forresidents. SWARM should increase public awareness of their service. encouragevolunteer involvement through community-service organizations, and pick up athomes on request. Number of mobile hazardous waste sites avallable:

In 2002: 14 In 2003: 17 In 2004: 14

The Environmental Resource Management Department does not record thepounds of hazardous waste collected.

10. The JTA should ensure that all of its bus stops are kept continually litter-free andclean. Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission seeking JTA representation. JTA would like to expand "weekend warrior" crews (civil offenders servingcommunity) to weekday cleaning. JTA will host a meeting of JSO, City Council, and others to discuss incorporatingbus stops into the City's trash collection contracts.

11. The Duval County School Board should establish a zero-tolerance litter policy so thatschool campuses and school bus stops are kept clean and students learn the value ofa clean environment. The Duval County School Superintendent should implement thezero-tolerance litter policy by: directing principals to keep campuses and school bus stops clean through litterprevention-education programs and student cleanups; and requiring the food, custodial, and bus contractors to provide training in litterprevention and cleanup and to create cleanup performance standards for theiremployees.

Initial meeting with former principal of La Villa School of the Arts and currentprincipal of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.


6/8

6

The Keep Jacksonville Beautifu[ Commission indicated that it will work with theClean lt Up, Green It Up Division to provide anti-litter teaching materials toschools.

12. The City Council should pass an ordinance requiring the placement of wastereceptacles in places on commercial properties where their use will significantlyreduce litter.

13. The City Council should amend the waste collection law to expand the limit on thequantity of yard waste picked up at anyone time,

The Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission will use the recent expendituresfrom the hurricanes as a starting point for discussions of expansion of yard wasteservices.

14.The City Council should increase funding for the Property Safety Division to providemore frequent proactive citation of nuisance lots, rather than relying on citizencomplaints.2003

2004

6,000 to 7,000 inspections in backlog.Only Division Chief could authorize boarding up a house.16 percent of inspections were generated by inspectors.140 cases referred to 6 Municipal Code Enforcement Boards.85,707 inspections completed.Thirty-two percent of complaints responded to within five days.

54 inspections in backlog.Supervisors empowered to secure properties without prior approval of DivisionChief.28% of inspections generated by inspectors.Mapping property safety complaints from residents.592 cases heard by Municipal Code Enforcement Board.New technology allows Property Safety Division to cross-reference violatingproperties so that owners neglecting properties are identified quicklyUtilizing ordinance targeting repeat offenders sothat slumlords receive a hearingnotice immediately.88,219 inspections completed.Seventy percent of complaints responded to within five days.


7/8

7

Scorecard

Recommendations fully or partially implemented: 9 Recommendations not implemented: 5 Recommendations that Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission will continue toadvocate for: 9

Continuing effortsIn Spring 2004, Bill Brinton organized a group of concerned citizens, including former JCelExecutive Director, Lois Chepenik. This group drafted an Anti-Utter Amendment to the City'scharter. In the fall, the JCCI Task Force decided to support the amendment because lf itpassed, it would implement the study's first recommendation. The Anti-Utter-group advocatedfor the amendment through the summer, and on October 12, 2004, City Council voted tosubstitute the amendment with an anti-litter ordinance. Through October and November severalCouncil sub-committees worked on the anti-litter ordinance.On December 14, 2004, City Council established a zero-tolerance policy in Jacksonville,allocating $3 million for cleanup of bus stops, major roads, and parks.The Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission indicates that the chairs of its subcommittees maybegin to use the recommendations as a basis for their future work. For example, theEnforcement committee may advocate for a Trash Troopers program. In addition, theCommission will gather budget information from the impending clean up for the Super Bowl.These figures will suggest how much it costs to clean up Jacksonville; that is, the costfor a levelof service which citizens desire all year.


8/8

Documents

2004 Clean City Implementation Report