Storm drain help allocated in mayor's proposed budget

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News has learned Mayor Alvin Brown has allocated money for new Public Works equipment to clean storms drains in the city. 

Clogged drains can lead to a big mess. Our cameras caught water flooded in the area near Cassat Avenue and Blanding Boulevard Friday night. And even after Tuesday's rain, we found streets filled with water in Arlington, and ditches clogged up with leaves and other debris.

"It's bad up here," said homeowner Marie Judge.

Judge has lived in Arlington most of her life and said the problem needs to be fixed. In April, we told you why it's taking the city so long to clean out these drains. Their equipment is old and breaks a lot. We uncovered equipment out of service for more than half of the year, leaving ditches and drains filling up.

"I expect this whole area to be full of water tonight," said Judge.

Now Brown's office appears to be listening. In his proposed budget this week, at least $1 million is allocated for new equipment. But it's just part of the millions of dollars worth of proposed projects. The question is, will it make the cut when City Council finalizes the budget?

"There's a lot of great projects. We've talked before, we need equipment in Public Works to get ditches cleaned out on the streets," said Council President Clay Yarborough. 

One homeowner just hopes the problem is fixed. 

"We pay taxes. We need it to go to good things," said Judge. 

The City Council has to approve the budget by the end of September.

WJAX