A.G. Gancarski
After eight solid days of deliberation, the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee has finally wrapped its budget deliberations.
After a long and winding journey through budget wrap up items, Finance passed the budget bill, adopted the Capital Improvement Projects bill, approved the Banking Funds authorization, and adopted an IT system development program.
“We have reached the end,” said Finance Committee chair Bill Gulliford, who noted that the “new members are battle hardened now.”
Vice Chair Anna Brosche, meanwhile, thanked Gulliford for his leadership, before presenting Gulliford with a signed mini-helmet from the Finance Committee members.
The city’s Chief Administrative Officer, Sam Mousa, meanwhile, said he was “extremely pleased” with the “terrific budget” passed.
Mousa told Florida Politics that a “lot of hard work from the Mayor and City Council” went into this budget.
Some have voiced concerns about challenges posed by the Police and Fire Pension Fund issues, as well as the reality that money found in subfunds, that helped with Capital Improvement Projects in the current budget, were a one time boost to the budget.
Mousa pledged that the administration would “address” these future obligations.
John Crescimbeni, meanwhile, joked that he didn’t “get to use [his] decimal replacement tools” procured in previous years, a reference to the Alvin Brown budget process.
After the session was adjourned, Florida Politics asked him what that was a reference to. In a previous budget, a decimal was misplaced on a budget line, which created a $900,000 hole in the budget.
No such issues occurred in this budget, which Crescimbeni described as “much smoother” in terms of “what was in front of us.”
The process took a bit more time this time, in terms of Council review, as new Finance Committee members were getting acclimated.
Optimism is in the air regarding the budget, which will be considered by the full council on Monday, September 21.
