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A.G. GancarskiNovember 29, 2016

Another day, another pension pratfall for the city of Jacksonville. And this latest one will have big cost impacts, perhaps expanding the $2.85 billion unfunded liability. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry is incensed about the latest cost overrun from the perpetually beleaguered Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund. “It has come to my attention,” Curry wrote in […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 29, 2016

Tuesday saw negotiators from the City of Jacksonville squaring off with the Jacksonville Supervisors Association in collective bargaining. And substantial progress was made on key elements during two sessions. As with the other bargaining units, the city is negotiating with in the wake of the passage of August’s County Referendum 1, a considerable gap looms between what […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 28, 2016

The inaugural First Coast Legislative Delegation meeting, to be held Thursday at Jacksonville University’s Public Policy Institute, is going to be different from the Duval Delegation meeting held the day before. For one thing, it will be regional in nature, including 16 representatives and senators total. And for another thing, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry will keynote […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 28, 2016

The Duval County Legislative Delegation has a lot of new faces and a crowded agenda in front of it on Wednesday afternoon, when they convene at Jacksonville’s city hall. New to the body: Republican Reps. Cord Byrd of House District 11 and Clay Yarborough in HD 12, Democratic Rep. Tracie Davis of House District 13, Democratic […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 28, 2016

Steve Zona, the head of the Jacksonville branch of the Fraternal Order of Police, got some backup over the holiday weekend from leaders of the state and national FOP in the biggest debate his union has had in some time. They conveyed a clear message: the FOP has support in what looks to be a protracted […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 23, 2016

Tuesday saw the Jacksonville Association of Fire Fighters slamming a pension reform proposal from City Hall. Wednesday saw the Fraternal Order of Police doing the same, offering its own proposals for police and corrections that include raises for all employees, pension benefits rolled back to 2015 levels for extant employees, and the Florida Retirement System […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 22, 2016

Tuesday saw senior staff from the city of Jacksonville locked in negotiations with representatives from the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters. Spoiler alert: those negotiations won’t be wrapped up in time for Thanksgiving. The fire union seems to prefer switching to the Florida Retirement System’s pension plan; the city likes defined contribution. That is a huge gap. […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 22, 2016

In the wake of a contentious negotiation session between the Jacksonville Association of Fire Fighters and city negotiators, Mayor Lenny Curry called a Tuesday afternoon presser to reiterate his team’s negotiating position on Jacksonville’s pensions. Essentially, it boils down to a commitment to 401(k)-styled defined contribution plans for new employees. And it rules out the Florida Retirement System. Curry […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 22, 2016

In 2015, the city of Jacksonville’s annual bond rating trip to New York City was a success, one which improved the city’s credit ratings and allowed the Lenny Curry administration to trumpet its successes well into 2016. Among the accomplishments: Better Jacksonville Plan sales tax revenue upgrades in February to A+ from S&P and Fitch, with a […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 22, 2016

In Jacksonville, the TRUE Commission (Taxation, Revenue, and Utilization of Expenditures) advises the city on fiscal policy. A recent email to city leadership shows that, while you can take a commissioner off of the TRUE Commission, that doesn’t necessarily divest that person of vigilance. Patti Anania, a former TRUE Commission member and wife of a […]

Tag: Lenny Curry
Mike Johnson. Image via AP.

Lenny Curry: Pension costs have ‘crippled’ Jacksonville

Jacksonville and its supervisors get closer to a deal on Tuesday

Lenny Curry to keynote First Coast Legislative Delegation meeting Thursday

Packed agenda for Duval Delegation meeting Wednesday

National politics, political legacies, & the Jacksonville pension debate

Jacksonville police union: defined benefit pensions are not ‘dinosaurs’

Jacksonville pension proposal: A ‘shock’ to firefighters

Lenny Curry: Yes to defined contribution, no to FRS

Agenda set for city of Jacksonville bond rating trip

Former TRUE commissioner blasts Jacksonville for post-hurricane cleanup