A.G. Gancarski
The Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Deal has been in negotiations for close to eight years now, but it seems that an end is close at hand, if Wednesday afternoon’s meeting between Councilmen Bill Gulliford, Stephen Joost, John Crescimbeni and Police and Fire Pension Chief John Keane is any indication.
The men were the very definition of cordial as they talked in a fourth-floor conference room in City Hall. All agreed that the time to move forward is now.
“The national regulatory agencies aren’t doing anyone any favors,” said Keane, who emphasized that the Board is on record committing $100M from its reserve fund as part of a “shared sacrifice.”
“We’re about all fought out,” he added,
The city seeks to reduce its unfunded liability as much as can be done, though Gulliford agreed that this is the “last step in a long journey.”
A follow-up discussion will be held on Friday, in which the basic agreement will be further codified.
In attendance was Mayor Alvin Brown‘s Chief of Staff, Chris Hand, who echoed the optimism of others in the room.
“We’ve come so close,” he said, adding that he and the administration have been working with Gulliford and the PFPF to “move the pension deal from the one yard line over the goal line.”
This is a culmination of “years of work, especially over the last four years,” he added.
