Stephen Joost Answers: Pension Plan
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Former City Council President (and full time accountant) Stephen Joost explains the 1997 background of the Pension Crisis, why he didn't fix the issue when he was President of Council in 2011, and why he cannot support the Curry Plan. Also talks about the savage backlash against him for speaking out on the issue. Also starts getting emotional around the 2:39 point.
Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2016-aug-stephen-joost-answers-pension-plan
Spend 4 minutes and watch this...
Wow, he's in Flagler county one second, then in WWII the next, the guy is all over the place. If he is the speaker for a tax increase, he can speak Westside slang well.
Both taxes have to pass, the 1/2 cent for the pension and the 1 mil to take care of city services. He is right on the 1 mil, but we need both of these. You cannot raise prop taxes only to pay for past promises, you need a lot of that money to help the city grow.
Quote from: mtraininjax on August 17, 2016, 09:33:32 AM
Both taxes have to pass, the 1/2 cent for the pension and the 1 mil to take care of city services. He is right on the 1 mil, but we need both of these. You cannot raise prop taxes only to pay for past promises, you need a lot of that money to help the city grow.
problem is the 1 mil increase isn't on the table and the Mayor has no interest in proposing it.
Quoteproblem is the 1 mil increase isn't on the table and the Mayor has no interest in proposing it.
He does not have to propose it, the Council only has to act on it. The CC really runs the town and the budget, yeah, they can get behind Curry or do like they did with Brown and over-ride him.
They can raise the mil rate, if they so desire, in the effort of "public safety", just as they invoked often with Brown.
Quote from: mtraininjax on August 18, 2016, 06:52:14 AM
He does not have to propose it, the Council only has to act on it. The CC really runs the town and the budget, yeah, they can get behind Curry or do like they did with Brown and over-ride him.
They can raise the mil rate, if they so desire, in the effort of "public safety", just as they invoked often with Brown.
Council never overrode Brown on the millage rate. They raised it in budget proceedings and Brown allowed it to become law by neither signing no vetoing the budget. Curry has said publicly he doesn't think it is right to raise taxes on anyone in jacksonville, so maybe he would veto an action by Council.