This week, the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee advanced the annual budget, having trimmed $23 million from Mayor Donna Deegan’s initial $2 billion budget proposal.
The budget will now head to the full council, where some of those cuts will be put under additional scrutiny.
Finance Chair Will Lahnen (R-District 3) said the budget passed by the Finance Committee would reduce year-over-year spending for the first time in more than a decade.
Th biggest cut by the committee was a $7.8 million reduction to the council’s strategic planning fund.
“We tried to lead by example, like I said, to where, okay, let’s not start new council items just to fill up that $10 million bucket,” said Lahnen.
The other big reduction was a $4.9 million cut to affordable housing.
Mayor Donna Deegan had requested the funds to prop up a down payment assistance program and reserve money to help support affordable housing construction.
“A lot of our residents feel like they’re being priced out,” said Councilmember Mone Holder (D-Group 1 At-Large).
Holder, who was just sworn in this week after winning her special election in August, said she and some of her fellow council members plan to fight to restore that funding.
She argued the city has for too long put affordability issues on the back burner.
“We’re not going to solve the entire affordable housing issue with a $4.9 million trust fund, but it is a way for us to take a step forward,” said Holder.
The mayor’s office also indicated it plans to fight to get affordable housing funds back in the budget.
“It was disappointing to see the affordable housing funding removed given that there is such a great need, and citizens tell us this is their top concern. We will work with the full City Council to restore this critical funding in September,” said spokesperson with the mayor’s office in an emailed statement.
Lahnen said he anticipates the affordable housing debate to be the focus come budget night.
But he argued the looming threat of the property tax phaseout amendment prompted the Finance Committee to avoid approving new spending.
And he noted the council generally favors funding specific projects, rather than placeholder trust funds like the mayor had proposed.
“A great example, just down the road here on Beach Boulevard there’s a development coming in to tackle some of the affordable housing issues around here. So, council has said yes when we’ve seen tangible items come before us that we know exactly what we’re getting,” said Lahnen.
On top of the $23 million-worth of cuts, the Finance Committee also set aside $7 million for the city’s arts, cultural and public service nonprofits.
Those funds would automatically be restored if the property tax amendment fails in November.
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