Reductions in services, layoffs possible as city of Jacksonville struggles with pandemic

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax investigates the city of Jacksonville in a financial struggle because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tuesday, the city’s number two in command, Chief Administrative Officer Brian Hughes, met with public safety union representatives.

He told them things are so bad, he gave three options: immediate and significant impacts of service to the community, reductions in employee hours or furloughs, or even layoffs.

Hughes said the city isn’t bringing in the bed and sales taxes right now in this crisis. And unlike a hurricane, which impacts us for a couple of weeks, this has gone on for months.

“The impacts are real, and they are substantial,” Hughes said.

Hughes said the city has spent $54 million on the crisis. He said $40 million of that is just employee comp time.

Every essential employee not working from home is earning time and a half.

For JFRD and JSO, the comp pay doesn’t show up on a paycheck right away, but goes into a bank that they can cash out later as leave time or pay.

The city has a total of about $187 Million in reserves. It’s negotiating with the unions to reach a Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, to end the comp time pay May 9.

Hughes says not doing that could be devastating.

“[We could see] immediate and significant impacts of service to the community, which right now more than ever I think we’d argue people need as much as the services as we can provide related to public safety, and garbage and infrastructure, and all the things that we have to do,” Hughes said.

Hughes added city employee furloughs or layoffs could also be possible, so Action News Jax wanted to know what could mean for your safety.

In a statement, the city said in part they’ll, “do everything possible to never allow the #1 priority, the safety of citizens, to be impacted.”

That applies to Katharine Laco, who said it’s an unfortunate sign of the times.

“It’s a shame that the city has to do things, but I understand to be financially viable and proceed in the future, and be able to provide the wonderful services that we all enjoy, cuts may have to be made,” Laco said.

Action News Jax spoke with the presidents of the Jacksonville police and fire unions, but neither wanted to comment with the MOU talks still underway.

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