Jacksonville City Councilman proposing changes to Neighborhood Bill of Rights
In a statement, City of Jacksonville Councilman Rahman Johnson said his plan to codify the city's Neighborhood Bill of Rights will give residents a structured seat at the table before decisions are made.
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He said that with the law the way it is, the city fell short of Brentwood residents by leaving them out of the decision to build a morgue in their neighborhood.
Action News Jax has been reporting on the medical examiner's office and forensics laboratory that is being built in the Brentwood neighborhood for years.
Read: 'Find another place:' Brentwood community protests morgue being built next to school
Neighbors have complained that they were not properly notified about the city's building plan.
People such as Katrina Spencer, who lives in Brentwood, said the change to the law is coming too late, though.
'The law will be good, but it's not going to benefit us because it's already being in effect,' she shares.
Read: Brentwood residents suing City of Jacksonville for building morgue in their neighborhood
Councilman Johnson tells Action News Jax while the current law provides no legal remedy for Brentwood residents, his proposed changes to the bill would do some things like:
Require early notice to neighborhoods for zoning and development
Ensure residents have a voice before decisions are made.
Use CPAC'S, or Citizen Planning Advisory Committee's, as official community mediators.
On Monday, June 9th, the councilman held the first of the meetings to introduce the legislation to community groups.
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Councilman Johnson said he plans to meet with more community groups to discuss the legislation before bringing it before the council for codification.
The councilman said he plans to have a final draft ready to present before his peers as late as the fall.
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