Melissa Ross
Calling public safety and the city’s stretched finances his top priorities, new Jacksonville City Council president Greg Anderson says the city is heading into “an exciting time” as a new mayor and council are sworn in July 1.
“If we can create an environment where the executive and legislative branches are working together, Jacksonville is better served,” said Anderson during an appearance on WJCT’s quarterly program Policy Matters.
“During the last four years the relationship between the mayor and city council has been up and down. I wish that hadn’t happened, but now, we’ve got a new day.”
Anderson says the new council will be heavily focused on responding to constituents’ concerns about public safety, as violent crime has recently spiked.
“We’re hearing that enough is enough. I will support an increase in the police force, including bringing back the Community Service Officers that were let go. It’s time for us to create safe neighborhoods. That’s the No. 1 priority for me.”
In addition to dealing with crime, bread-and-butter budgeting issues are expected to give Anderson and his members headaches. Funding a strapped UF Health, paying for pension costs, and more will all be major pain points.
“It’s been a struggle over the last few years,” said Anderson, a banker. “Midyear numbers show our real estate taxes are basically flat. But we are seeing a lift on state sales tax numbers. Our expenses are lower than expected. So we’ll start the year in a better position than we did last year.”
“But remember, we have relatively few revenue sources, and about 85 percent of those are directly tied to how our economy is doing. But we’re starting to see a lift. We’ve been careful on the expense side. But if you look at how we’ve maintained our infrastructure, we’ve not maintained it in the way we should have. One needs only to drive down the road and see a cone or potholes. So that’s another challenge.”
New mayor Lenny Curry will reveal his budget on July 20, giving Anderson the chance to execute, and be involved in making tough funding decisions.
“Finding the right balance on all of these priorities will be key,” he said.
