JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On Monday, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan is set to present her proposed 2024-25 budget to the Jacksonville City Council. The budget will address everything from public safety to infrastructure and public health.
One big component is the Community Benefits Agreement — which is expected to go toward workforce development, affordable housing and addressing homelessness —that was left out of the just-completed stadium deal.
MORE: ‘We deserve it’: Eastside residents hopeful ‘Community Benefits Agreement’ deal pans out
And that’s ultimately why the council voted to separate the remaining $94 million of the CBA from the overall deal because some of the members wanted to see what would be in the budget first.
The CBA, which is aimed at improving the Eastside, is something council members, including Rahman Johnson, are watching closely.
“As you remember, I was one of two votes to keep the Community Benefits Agreement along with the initial contract. So I’m certainly interested to see where this goes,” Johnson said. “One of the things I want to make sure, when I see that legislation proposed is that we get it in, and we get it out on time. That we don’t defer it over and over. People have been waiting for so long to get help and to be seen.”
Johnson is also passionate about the Capital Improvement Projects shared earlier this month.
Some of the big items on that list include:
- $16 million for Hogan’s Creek Stormwater Improvements
- $50 million award for MOSH as it preps to move to the Northbank
- $6 million for James Weldon Johnson Park and over $38 million for three new fire stations
While JFRD’s full budget has not been released, the department did confirm it’s asking for just shy of $400 million.
And on the JSO side, Sheriff T.K. Waters is asking for $630 million and requesting to bring on 40 additional officers.
“As the agency grows, and I know it’s not necessarily a comfortable number, but this is what it costs when we run an agency our size. The number of people that work there, and for us to be, what I believe, is the best agency in the world, to continue to do that,” Waters said.
As city leaders look to take the next step for the city’s future, Councilman Johnson believes recent victories like the Jaguars stadium deal are a sign that good things are to come. That’s a message he’s heard from others around the state.
“While it’s sometimes hard to look in the mirror when you are in the space, the others are mirrors. And so, when I’m having these conversations with other cities around the state, Jacksonville is in a great place. And for me, personally, I could not be more pleased to be in leadership,” he said.
Council members are going to be really thorough in reviewing the budget once it is presented on Monday.
Ron Salem and the Finance Committee members will be meeting seven times starting August 8 to discuss the budget. Salem said the vote will happen at the last council meeting in September.
The mayor is presenting her budget to the council on Monday morning starting at 9 a.m.