A.G. Gancarski
They didn’t pop bottles in the Council Chambers of Jacksonville’s City Hall after the FY 16 Budget passed. However, they might as well have.
Florida Politics spoke to Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa after the budget was approved, and he called it a “great budget.”
Equally great: the dynamic with City Council. “We defer to Council,” Mousa said, speaking approvingly of the discussions that led to a final conclusion, as well as the sharing of info and perspective in what Mousa called a “collaborative budget process.”
“We’re pleased with the respect Council gave us,” Mousa continued.
Finance Chair Bill Gulliford likewise was pleased.
“It’s almost scary how smooth it went,” citing, among other things, there being only eight floor amendments instead of the 30 from last year.
Part of the success came from having “started off with a balanced budget,” which Gulliford described as “professionally done.”
One of the issues that occasioned discussion: Council’s reversed decision on the Hazouri amendment that restored $337,000 to Fire and Rescue salaries that had been cut.
Council, much to the surprise of most of those watching (except for Chris Hong of the Times-Union, who seemed to predict a potential reversal on Twitter), chose to move funds from stormwater to those salaries.
“Newer council members,” said Gulliford, “don’t understand the severity of infrastructure issues.”
However, the overall vibe was a positive one. Libraries got their money, as did the Jacksonville Journey.
In the conference room in the mayor’s suite, Lenny Curry spoke to media. Whereas a year ago, the mayor was in New York City with Bill Cosby on what was an epically contentious budget night, Curry was on the fourth floor, taking ownership.
“It’s my budget,” Curry said, and “I’m very happy right now.”
He’s happy about the attention to infrastructure and public works. Curry noted that the issues on Liberty Street and Coastline Drive allowed the public to see the issues that were writ large in Jacksonville’s infrastructure.
Curry was also happy about the Jacksonville Journey commitment, which he described in a familiar way, as “investing in kids,” who “have to know we care about them.”
Asked why the budget went so smoothly, Curry credited his team of the best and brightest in the city, who “laid out priorities” in transition, then laid out the budget and executed the plan.
The big challenge facing Curry: the unfunded liability of the Police and Fire Pension.
“When we solve the unfunded liability,” Curry said, “it will free up $100 million in cash flow,” allowing the administration to invest further in its priorities, which boil down to public safety, children, and infrastructure.
For Curry, who spent much of last week dogged by questions about board moves, he’s finding his vision vindicated.
His take charge attitude regarding JEA Board “scripted messages” has gotten positive coverage throughout the media, and is framed by administration members as a vindication of his commitment to holistic review of all boards and commissions.
And after Marco Rubio talked smack about Curry’s beloved Jaguars, the team went out and put together a complete game in victory over the Dolphins.
It’s a good time to be Lenny Curry.
