JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The word “efficiency” echoed throughout and around Jacksonville City Hall on Tuesday.
Mayor Donna Deegan addressed the public on recent governmental streamlining efforts while Council Member Ron Salem brought his “Duval DOGE” initiative into the spotlight.
Salem along with council auditors introduced what Salem called “Duval DOGE.”
The meeting was met by some opposition. Dozens gathered outside City Hall to say “No DOGE in Duval.”
“I’m all for stopping waste, fraud, abuse, but we don’t need another DOGE in Duval,” Nancy Staats said. “One is enough.”
Several people expressed concerns with how DOGE has been rolled out on the national level. They said the cuts and layoffs on a local level could be too much.
“I think you have to take a scalpel,” Staats said. “Rather than a sledgehammer or a chainsaw and try to find where the problems are.”
And Salem said his plan isn’t the same as the federal initiative.
“This is not a chopping block or saw to our government,” Salem said. “This is a very specific approach.”
Salem and council auditors explained that the initiative would revisit a method used in 2007 and 2008. They said a percentage of department budgets would be initially removed and reviewed by council auditors. The special committee could then decide whether to reinstate those funds, leave them unused, or allocate them elsewhere.
When asked about the potential for job losses, Salem responded, “I do not foresee that at 2% or 3% of the budget.”
In the short term, the presentation recommended looking for overlaps in spending at entities working on similar goals.
The expected result, as Salem explained, is avoiding budget deficits and government efficiency.
Something Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan welcomed and said her administration has been working on since she got into office.
During a news conference at City Hall, Deegan gave updates on Jacksonville’s 904 Lean Initiative program. The event came just an hour before Salem’s meeting in regard to “Duval DOGE.”
“These changes are practical, proactive and not political,” Deegan said. “And that’s not all. My administration takes our responsibility to the taxpayers very, very seriously.”
Some of the efforts highlighted on Tuesday included the use of AI.
“We are among the first cities in the nation to leverage AI and advanced financial modeling to improve our budgeting process,” Deegan said. “This AI-driven approach allows us to make sure our budget decisions are data-driven.”
Press play above to watch Deegan’s update on the city’s efficiency initiatives
Deegan said the city is also working on new legislation to ensure fairness and accountability on taxpayer dollars and how they are being spent.
The Lean Initiative is a program focused on improving the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of city government operations.
Last week, Deegan said Duval DOGE felt “more political than practical.”
However, on Tuesday, Deegan said she hopes her team and the City Council can collaborate on efforts to make the city’s government more efficient.
“We’ve been very successful so far, I suspect will continue to be, as long as we put our love for the city first and our political aspirations second,” Deegan said.
When asked about possible workforce reductions, Deegan said the city has not cut any jobs and is not planning to do so. However, as the city’s processes are evaluated, Deegan said they might find some positions don’t need to be filled.
“As people leave, we look at, ‘Is there a need to fill that position, or is there a more efficient way to construct that?’ I think that’s really what I would be more likely to look at. As you know, there’s lots of turnover in city government all the time. And I think as we continue to look at these processes, we can say this may be a position we don’t need, or perhaps could use over here,” Deegan said.
