JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Tuesday night, the Jacksonville City Council passed a nearly $1.2 billion budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal year.
The budget includes funds to hire more Jacksonville Sheriff's officers, resurface roads and for drainage replacement projects.
The Council decided on several amendments, one of which would have taken away funding from the Jacksonville Journey crime-fighting initiative. That amendment failed and the budget was passed 17-0 by the Council.
According to the city, highlights of the approved budget include:
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$3.3 million for 40 new police officers and 40 new community service officers
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Funding for a body camera pilot program with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
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$14 million for police vehicles
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$7.5 million for fire vehicles
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$122,000 to operate a new Jacksonville Mosquito Control Division helicopter
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$3 million for ash pollution remediation
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$11.5 million to expand the Trail Ridge Landfill
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$8.5 million for Americans with Disability Act compliance on curbs and ramps (increased from $5.5 million in the mayor’s proposed budget)
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$12 million for road resurfacing
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$2.25 million for countywide parks and recreation projects
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$6.15 million for countywide drainage system rehabilitation projects (increased from $6 million in the mayor’s proposed budget)
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$6.8 million for a Lower Eastside drainage project
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$2.2 million for Trout River/Moncrief drainage projects (increased from $2.1 million in the mayor’s proposed budget)
In the past, budget approval meetings have gone past midnight, but the budget was approved by 10 p.m. Tuesday. Ahead of the meeting, Council President Lori Boyer talked about why she thought the approval process would be straightforward:
"There's a lot of time put in -- May, June, July -- in the mayor's office so that when they submit the budget, the budget's pretty clean, it's pretty accurate, it sets out the priorities, and then the Council finance committee works on it all of August," Boyer said.
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry released the following statement after the budget was passed:
"The approval of the 2016-2017 budget represents continued momentum that should give the people of Jacksonville renewed confidence about the direction in which our community is headed," said Mayor Lenny Curry. "Last month, voters overwhelmingly supported pension reform to help forge a path to long-term financial stability. Now, with the continued support of City Council - our second consecutive year of presenting a balanced budget - we've achieved a budget for the next fiscal year that reflects not only our commitment to fiscal responsibility, but also our determination to improve public safety, enrich our neighborhoods and increase economic opportunities in Jacksonville. As mayor, I am incredibly proud and grateful for this level of teamwork and collaboration, and thank Council members for their thoughtful deliberation and work."
"We are taking care of the health, safety and welfare of the community, and I think we're doing it the right way," said City Council Tommy Hazouri.
Cox Media Group
