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A.G. GancarskiSeptember 10, 2015

On Wednesday afternoon, some small but important steps were made toward accomplishing something essential in Jacksonville: making the contracts process more transparent. Councilman Tommy Hazouri, a former mayor and probably the most dyed-in-the-wool populist on the current Council, scheduled a meeting with Council Vice-President Lori Boyer, who has as much experience with contracts on the current Council […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 9, 2015

Florida Politics has learned that a “meet-and-greet” meeting with “no fixed agenda” is planned Friday between members of the Lenny Curry administration, including the mayor and Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa, and the Florida Department of Transportation. Among the issues to be discussed, according to an email from Mousa, are area transportation issues. Those could include matters […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 2, 2015

The Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee continued its budget deliberations on Wednesday afternoon, with an eye toward same-day finalization of the budget. UF Health’s contribution from the city of Jacksonville was another cleanup item on the agenda. $26,275,594 is the proposed amount, unchanged from the previous year. Councilman Reggie Gaffney wondered what any extra money would go […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 28, 2015

A red-hot Friday session of the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee budget review included an conversation about Jacksonville Transit Authority revenue that got to the heart of the fractious relationship between City Council and Jacksonville’s independent authorities. Councilwoman Lori Boyer held forth with an extended address about the local option gas tax as part of a […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 27, 2015

On Thursday, the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee took a romp through the Public Works budget as part of its larger budget review. As the discussion proceeded from JEA and vehicle replacement to stormwater and landfill issues, tensions reared their head. Before that, many other subjects were discussed. Fun Fact: Operating expenses are up $3,7M, […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 27, 2015

Thursday morning’s Jacksonville Finance Committee budget hearing includes a cavalcade of departments. Interesting talkers include the Human Rights Commission, Downtown Vision, the Jacksonville Journey, and the Jacksonville Children’s Commission. The latter department occasioned a robust discussion of salary raises in independent authorities, with accord from senior administration members and council members that the process needed […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 27, 2015

Thursday morning’s Jacksonville Finance Committee budget hearing is set to include a potpourri of departments. The first big talker was the budget for the Talent Management program, related to a tuition reimbursement program of $125,000 for Jacksonville Fire and Rescue promotional requirements. That led Councilman John Crescimbeni to ask whether it was part of collective […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 26, 2015

The Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee continued its budget reviews on Wednesday afternoon. Documents were sparse in terms of change recommendations from Council Auditor Kirk Sherman, yet with the Jacksonville City Council, the potential is always there for lively discussion. The discussion of the Court budget, with Chief Judge Mark Mahon, was notable more for its […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 26, 2015

Beyond the Liberty Street discussion, there were discussion points of note during Wednesday morning’s Capital Improvement Projects review by the Finance Committee of the Jacksonville City Council. This is by no means an exhaustive recap of these. John Crescimbeni asked for a total recap of this CIP budget compared to the last. About $71 million […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 26, 2015

On Wednesday morning, the Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee considered the Capital Improvement Projects Budget. As these things go, it was not a spectator sport. The big story: the Liberty Street issue, described as “unsightly” and the consequences of “deferred maintenance” by Council President Greg Anderson. The Liberty Street Collapse was a big talking point for Lenny […]

Tag: Sam Mousa

Sam Mousa, Jax Council members discuss transparency in contracts

Meeting planned between Lenny Curry administration, FDOT on Friday

Jax Finance Committee wrestles with UF Health funding woes

JTA, Jax Council Finance Committee spar over funding, Skyway

Jax Public Works budget reveals landfill, stormwater stresses

Lenny Curry addresses Jax Finance Committee budget hearing

JFRD tuition reimbursement under fire at Jax Finance Committee budget review

Jax Finance Committee looks at regulatory compliance, debt affordability

Jax Finance Committee mulls CIP, banking fund

Liberty Street fix highlights Jax CIP budget discussion; Finance backs 2 year plan