A.G. Gancarski
As our Reggie Brown interview indicated, there is a mood of what Ronald Reagan called “trust but verify” regarding the new Lenny Curry budget.
This mood permeated Monday’s Finance Committee meeting, as one might expect.
Powerful local lobbyist Paul Harden pushed for action on a bill that would push $1.2M for one of his clients, Steve Leggett, for repayment of roadway credits.
Councilwoman Lori Boyer initially dumped some cold water on that.
“This $1.2M could be used for other things,” said Boyer, such as UF Health or the library system.
“Are auditors comfortable with the revenue source? Do we really have a balanced budget?”
The authorization got through the committee nonetheless by a unanimous vote. Still, these are the questions that will linger in the minds of some experienced council members as this process launches.
Despite those logical questions that CM Boyer posed, there is optimism in presentation, as Finance Committee chair Bill Gulliford told the Florida Times-Union.
“It was the way a responsible budget should be presented,” said Councilman Gulliford to the T-U. “I think it’s going to make our process… a lot simpler.”
As we reported last week, Gulliford will chair seven budget review sessions over 15 days in August.
John Crescimbeni, a veteran of 17 budgets with five mayors, observed that this is “probably one of the shortest of these that I’ve ever been through.”
“I’m happy he was pithy,” the councilman said, “but the devil’s in the details.”
That caveat issued, “unlike previous budget speeches where everything was kept under wraps” until delivery, this one was “very transparent” without many surprises.
Committee Vice Chair Anna Brosche echoed the general positivity, saying that she’s “glad it’s balanced,” and that the budget aligned with campaign rhetoric and promises.
