JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two weeks after Mayor Donna Deegan presented her proposed budget to the city council, she said the reaction from constituents has been positive overall. Furthermore, she says people seem pleased with the city’s momentum.
“They’re excited to actually start to see the cranes in the air,” Deegan said in a sit-down interview on Tuesday. “To see the grass being mowed, to see the pride that we’ve taken in the city by making sure that we’re funding the things that have, frankly, been left to fall down.”
That’s not to say this budget cycle didn’t come with challenges. According to the mayor’s office, property taxes grew by $62 million less than FY 23-24 property tax growth. Deegan said Jacksonville is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.
“When your family grows, you’ve got more people to feed, more services to provide,” Deegan said. “So, you can’t starve the family because you have difficult budget years. You have to find ways to make all that work.”
During her budget presentation to the council, Deegan announced some of the proposed FY 24-25 projects would be funded through the operating reserves. This includes but is not limited to a $4 million loan to JAXPORT, $10.5 million for public safety vehicles and equipment, $10 million for affordable housing fund, etc.
Deegan explained taking money from reserves is something that happens every year.
“Eight of the last nine years, there has been money that is that has gone in and out of reserves,” Deegan said. “We usually end up with $20 to $30 million at the end of the year that we can put back in reserves if we want to do that or spend on other things. But we put in $76 million into reserves in 2023. What we’re going to take out of reserves still leaves us with double our targeted amount of money to have in reserves.”
News4JAX also elicited questions for the mayor from viewers.
One has to do with the ongoing discussions over whether to relocate the Duval County jail. Deegan said there are still many questions that need to be answered. Exactly where a new facility would go is just the beginning.
“Is that going to be something that that comes out of the CIP (Capital Improvement Plan)?” Deegan said. “Are we going to build it or are we going to have another company build it and lease it back? That’s what a lot of cities have done. We don’t know the answers to those questions yet, we know it’s going to be a big-ticket item.”
Another viewer question has to do with the phasing out of septic tanks. News4JAX has followed that process for years. One News4JAX viewer wrote: “What do you plan to do to remediate those homes that are still on septic tanks and well water so many years after the broken promises of consolidation?”
The mayor says those closest to the water and in the most troublesome areas are top priority.
“That is a scenario that is taking longer than I would personally like,” Deegan said. “It is a long and cumbersome process to take those septic tanks out, but we are continuing to move forward as fast as we can. And we’ve talked with JEA about the importance of making sure that we move as quickly as we can on those on those septic tanks.”
Deegan explained education on the city’s part is important in moving the phaseout process along because to an extent, neighborhoods have to agree.
“That’s a process for us, but it is one that is extraordinarily important,” Deegan said. “Given that we are looking forward to years that we’re going to have work flooding, and issues with septic tanks, even the ones that may not be on the priority list right now.”
Another viewer question has to do with city employees.
It says: “JSO and JFRD received substantial proposed raises. What are their proposed raises for City of Jacksonville employees? The employees are no longer represented by a union.”
RELATED: Jacksonville police union, city reach preliminary agreement to raise police pay 13% | Jacksonville firefighters set to get big pay raise after city, union reach 3-year agreement
“In this year’s budget, the proposed raise was 3%,” Deegan explained. “We’re going to look at where those dollars need to go most essentially. Especially for people that we think need to make more of a living wage.”
Deegan also talked about the Community Benefits Agreement, which was separated from the Jaguars stadium deal and is now being looked at by a special committee of the city council. While the CBA aims to help Eastside residents, address homelessness She specifically talked about the workforce development aspect and why it’s important to building Jacksonville’s future.
MORE: City Council committee begins discussions on how to spend $94M Community Benefits Agreement
“We don’t have the workforce numbers that we need to be a successful city,” Deegan said. “That’s what some of these other cities that have passed us have. The Tampas and the Nashvilles, they have invested in their workforce, we have to do that.”
Councilman Ron Salem told News4JAX the council is expected to vote on the proposed budget at the last council meeting in September.
Click the video player below the watch the full interview:
