JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville's new mayor is getting ready to present his budget.
Alvin Brown is getting ready to present his budget, which closes a 58 million dollar budget gap. Mayor Brown wants to help boost the economy so cuts won't have to continue. He wants to target industries ready for growth and job creation in Jacksonville, including medical, finance, aviation and information technology.
Last year, hundreds of tax payers packed city hall as council members made 46 million dollars in cuts and voted to raise property taxes. Former city council president Jack Webb says making more cuts won't be easy. "The difficulty is the lack of money."
His best advice to the new city council is, "Receive input from the community, from the public. Stay patient, and at the end of the day, do what you think is right for the city of Jacksonville," said Webb.
A representative from the mayor's office told us that there will be reductions in staffing. Roughly 225 positions have been eliminated, including 50 that were appointed by the mayor.
We're also told that Mayor Brown has also asked city departments to reduce spending around the city. Included in the $27.8 million in reduced expenses is a cut of $7.1 million in the information technology department and $4.9 million from the fleet management department.
Mayor Brown will present his budget Friday morning at 10. You can count on Action News to bring you all the details as they happen.
