City council votes no on charter change that would let school board hire separate attorney

The Jacksonville City Council voted against a resolution that would have allowed the Duval County School Board to change the city charter and hire its own attorney.  The resolution failed narrowly, 8 to 9, keeping the current system in place where the city’s Office of General Counsel is responsible for hiring the school board’s attorney. Supporters of the change argued that allowing the school board to hire its own attorney would improve the hiring process and address issues with the current consolidated legal services. However, many council members disagreed.