JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Calling it a blueprint for the city's future financial security, the Retirement Reform Tax Force presented its final recommendations to the mayor, the city council president, and the Police and Fire Pension Fund.
"Now, the hard part starts," said City Council President Bill Gulliford.
That hard part is finding the funding for it. According to the proposal, that could come straight from your wallet.
Voters could soon be choosing between a half-cent sales tax increase and a property tax increase to fund police and fire pensions.
No one disagreed when Mayor Alvin Brown told the task force Thursday that fixing the pension problem shouldn't become a political issue.
But when he said, "Well, you know I'm against taxes, raising taxes," Gulliford fired back saying that's purely political on the mayor's part.
"I don't want to raise taxes. I don't want to pay taxes. But I will sacrifice a political future, if there is one, to do the right thing," he said.
Task force chairman Bill Scheu said, "This is as important as consolidation."
Scheu didn't mince words when he told city leaders that now is the time for them to step up. He said if they don't solve the pension problem now, the issue will become political when voters choose new leaders later.
"If we don't do this, shame on us," he said.
The next step is negotiation. The mayor says he'll sit down with the unions.
The City Council says they'll hold a special meeting on the issue.
The issue if having JEA pony up more money isn't off the table either. However, the task force has said that is not a viable solution.
WJAX
