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A.G. GancarskiAugust 24, 2017

Thursday morning’s Jacksonville City Council budget review included a deep dive into improving workforce diversity in city employment. Council members discussed ways to fulfill the letter of the equal opportunity/equal access law, relative to ensuring that Jacksonville’s labor force reflects the city’s demographics. “It’s about priorities. Whatever the Mayor wants to do in that fashion, […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 21, 2017

Bloomberg Intelligence strategist Eric Kazatsky offered some cautionary words about Jacksonville’s bonds this week, relevant as the city continues to attempt to improve its perception in the eyes of ratings agencies. “Despite stable fund and cash balances,” Kazatsky writes, “the city has been challenged by a steadily increasing fixed-cost ratio, which could put downward pressure on […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 29, 2017

On Thursday, the office of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry took its annual romp through budgets of venues managed by SMG. SMG, which saw its contract renewed for five more years this week via the Jacksonville City Council, manages Jacksonville sports and entertainment facilities. Highlights? For masochists and budget obsessives, they are below. The struggle, as ever, […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 27, 2017

The office of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry reviewed the Downtown Investment Authority budget on Tuesday; below, some highlights. One interesting point out of this — LaVilla development plans are moving apace, with DIA working with consultants. Also in consultant mode: the downtown parking study, as DIA is responsible for downtown parking now. Parking revenues are down […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 27, 2017

The annual review of departmental budgets continued Tuesday morning in the office of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, with Public Works on tap. Though not exactly a hot topic, the discussion was made more lively by repeated questions from the Mayor’s Budget Review Committee to Public Works people about specific line items. And made more lively still, […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 26, 2017

Jacksonville, like all major Florida cities, faces health challenges. And the Health Department budget, via City Hall, is a great starting point to seeing priorities. One such priority has to do with Jacksonville’s youngest residents: the aftermath of a lapsed co-location with Agape Health Services, which has now secured other space on the Westside. They […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 26, 2017

The office of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry continued its budget review Monday, with a romp through the Finance and Administration budget. The department is more fully-staffed than it was two years ago, when it was “decimated,” per Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa, yet points for discussion abounded. As is often the case with these hearings, the news […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 20, 2017

Just months ago, Jacksonville passed its pension reform package, which will give the city approximately $150M of budget relief from costs of its unfunded pension liability in terms of next year’s budget. While raises for city workers, to be phased in over the next three fiscal years, will consume a lot of that relief, rest […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 16, 2017

As part of our continuing coverage of the budget process in Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry’s office, we were on hand for Friday’s consideration of non-departmental expenditures heading into the next fiscal year. The biggest news? A potential increase of the city’s emergency reserve level, something that was discussed in Jacksonville City Council committees months back. The city […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 16, 2017

A year ago, when the city of Jacksonville was formulating its budget, there was a different State Attorney in Florida’s 4th Circuit. Angela Corey was running for her third term, facing a challenge from the woman who destroyed her in the GOP Primary months later: Melissa Nelson. Nelson ran on a platform of “smart justice,” a […]

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Jax commitment to workforce diversity: just ‘words on paper’?

Bloomberg warns of ‘downward pressure’ on Jacksonville’s credit rating

Event management highlights review of Jacksonville venues budgets

Jax Mayor’s Office reviews Downtown Investment Authority budget

Fireworks animate Jax Public Works budget review

Health Department concerned about infant mortality in Jacksonville

Jax Mayor’s Office plows through Finance & Administration budget

Hard choices loom for Lenny Curry’s staff in Jax capital budget

Jacksonville considers raising emergency reserve level

IT the focus of Melissa Nelson’s first budget as State Attorney