Sec. 34.801. - Neighborhood Services Office functions.

The Neighborhood Services office shall serve as the City of Jacksonville's intermediary between the Neighborhoods Department and the Community Organizations. The office reports to the Director of Neighborhoods. The office shall also have the following duties: (a) Manage the Neighborhood Action Plans; (b) Manage Town center initiatives. Town Center projects whose design and construction have been approved by the City and completed, and whose maintenance has not been provided for by a signed maintenance agreement, the City of Jacksonville, through its appropriate department, shall be responsible for the continued landscape and hardscape maintenance of such Town Center projects, the cost of which may be supplemented or offset with such private assistance as may be secured; (c) Manage CDC-Neighborhood Community Coordination; (d) Community development (including Town Center Initiatives, Citizen Planning Advisory Committees (CPACs), Neighborhood Action Plans, Neighborhood Outreach and engagement, Education interface, and Neighborhood Association Coordination); (e) Compile and continually update an inventory of all officially-recognized neighborhood organizations operating in the community. In order to qualify as an officially-recognized neighborhood organization, such organization should be incorporated in the State of Florida and hold an IRS 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(9) tax exempt status; (f) Establish an awards program for various categories of neighborhood organizations that demonstrate outstanding progress in increasing their effectiveness as advocates for neighborhood interests, as service delivery mechanisms, as information resources, and in other areas; (g) Act as a clearinghouse for all information intended for dissemination to neighborhoods and citizens, and as a one-stop resource for neighborhood organizations seeking information or City assistance with regard to common neighborhood activities such as establishment of a Neighborhood Watch, temporary street closures, organization of block parties, cleanup campaigns, etc.; (h) Serve as a communications channel with the neighborhood organizations to enable them to better communicate with the City government, including serving as staff to and coordinating with the Citizens Advisory Committees; and (i) Coordinate with the Jacksonville Journey Forward in accordance with Chapter 85 of the Code to inform neighborhood organizations, including CPACs, about Jacksonville Journey initiatives, programs, and reports regarding crime reduction and public safety in neighborhoods. (Ord. 2016-140-E , § 9; Ord. 2024-635-E , § 5)