JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mayor Lenny Curry officially rolled out his first budget as mayor of Jacksonville and seemingly delivered on his campaign promise to make public safety his top priority.
Curry also talked about a substantial debt reduction for the city.
The budget for FY 2016 is $1.1 billion. About $58 million of that was found thanks to an in-depth review of city books led by Councilwoman Lori Boyer.
Much of that money is going toward capital improvement projects like sidewalk repair and road resurfacing.
Action News spoke to a few council members who seem very optimistic about this budget but as it goes up for review there’s bound to be some adjustments.
Curry started off Monday talking about pension. He says his administration has a sense of urgency when it comes to the unfunded liability facing the city.
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He says he plans to deal with the issue aggressively and is already working on developing some concepts to come up with a solution.
The budget also details funding for the hiring of 40 Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers, 40 community services officers and additional funding for 55 firefighter positions.
But Curry says the real accomplishment is being able to tell the taxpayer about a substantial debt reduction.
“What's important is that overall that even though there's some new debt in this we are reducing debt by $75 million. That's really the story, that's the story to the taxpayer, that's what they want to hear, that's fiscal responsibility,” Curry said.
There are some areas that Curry admits need work, like funding for UF Health. Watch CBS47 Action News at 5 p.m. for the latest developments.
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