2014 Budget Meeting is Still on at City Hall

[Cheshire Cat]

From the Times Union.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-09-25/story/council-approves-hike-property-tax-rates

By David Bauerlein   

Jacksonville property owners will face higher tax bills this year as part of a budget that staves off wrenching cuts in police, fire, library, parks and other city services.

The City Council met in a marathon session that started Tuesday night and ran through Wednesday night with a 12-hour break in between for members to get some sleep as they plowed through dozens of proposed budget amendments.

Mayor Alvin Brown proposed a budget in July that would have made $61 million in service cuts while avoiding a tax rate increase.

The City Council took a different path by raising more tax revenue with a millage rate of 11.4419 per $1,000 of taxable property value for a $1.05 billion budget. The current tax rate is 10.0353 per $1,000.

Under the higher rate, the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption would pay a city tax bill of $1,144, an increase of $140 over the current rate, a 14 percent hike.

Council approved the higher tax rate on a 16-2 vote. Council members Matt Schellenberg and Don Redman opposed it.

Schellenberg sought to curb the increase in the tax rate by proposing amendments that would have given the city Police and Fire Pension Fund more leeway in how it makes investments to pay for retiree benefits.

Schellenberg said that would have enabled the fund to get a 7.4 percent return on its investments rather than 7 percent, and as a result of higher investment income, the city's contribution to support the fund would have gone down by $11 million.

"Whatever we can do to help the citizens and their tax burden, we should do," Schellenberg said.

But other council members said there was not nearly enough information to make a decision without understanding the risks of changing the investment policies and what would happen if the fund couldn't lock in the 7.4 percent return.

"I just want to know what's in the Kool-Aid that some of you are drinking," City Council President Bill Gulliford said.

Gulliford has repeatedly said the city should give a pension reform task force time to develop recommendations that will be ready in January, not "kick the can down the road" with short-term relief.

Schellenberg also proposed transferring the city-owned Water Street Garage to the fund as a way to lower the city's annual payment to the fund. But council members said that idea likewise was arriving too late in the budget process for vetting.

"We're past the 11th hour," Councilman John Crescimbeni said. "We're at the 12th hour."

Gulliford said after the meeting the council had no choice but to raise the tax rate in order to avert cutting police officers, closing fire stations and shuttering library branches.

"Some of the emails I've gotten say don't raise my taxes but they'd also be the first ones to say, 'That police officer didn't respond to my house; why didn't he?' Well, we would have had to cut 300 police officers to maintain the current tax rate."

He said it basically maintained city services for the budget starting Oct. 1.

"I really worry about next year if we don't solve this police and fire pension fund," he said. "Next year, we'll have an even bigger hole."

David DeCamp, spokesman for Brown, said the mayor's pension plan, which the council rejected in July, would have saved $45 million in next year's budget. He said the mayor will review the budget and decide whether he will exercise his line-item veto authority.

David Bauerlein: (904) 359-4581

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-09-25/story/council-approves-hike-property-tax-rates#ixzz2g2AepfCO

[tufsu1]

so the vote was 16-2....who didn't show up (or at minimum, not vote)?

[edjax]

Ray Holt had been excused due to accident his young daughter has been involved in last weekend. 

[Cheshire Cat]

I believe Lee left early, before the vote.

[edjax]

No. Lee was there for final vote. A few stepped out for the final few amendments but all returned with exception of Holt.

[Cheshire Cat]

Ah, thank's for the correction.  I looked at the vote board toward the end and saw her missing. 

[Cheshire Cat]

The budget was given to the mayor's office today.  Interestingly, the City Council has already scheduled a meeting for tomorrow for the expressed purpose to overridding any veto the mayor may attempt to their budget.  I think this is a pretty clear indicator of the reality that this mayor is pretty much an empty suit in the eyes of the council.

[If_I_Loved_you]

Mayor Brown I voted for you good luck with what the city council decided when it came to the budget. I hope your Veto pen is in working order.

[edjax]

And yes I voted for Mayor Brown also and doubt I will do that again.  Please run Ms. Boyer.

[Cheshire Cat]

And yes I voted for Mayor Brown also and doubt I will do that again.  Please run Ms. Boyer.

I would love it if she did.  I spoke to her about it, but she panned the idea.  I can't say that I blame her but anyone watching her in action, whether they agree with the positions she takes or not, cannot miss the fact that this is one sharp lady, always aware and thinking. Her decision making is based in factual research matched with common sense.  She readily picks up on facts and discrepancies that other simply miss.  I think she would make a great mayor but at the same time I can understand her not wanting to pick up the pieces in that office. 

[Cheshire Cat]

Actually, I am not easily smitten.  I have been listening and watching her actions since she took office and can honestly say having watched city officials for years she is one of the best and brightest.  She has had views that differ from my own on some issues, but the fact that her take on the issue was thought through and measured with due diligence has me respecting her opinion even when I disagree.  She would make a great mayor IMO.  I really wish she would consider a run for the office.  Alvin has never been up to the task and I worry that without someone like Lori in the mix for mayor would could end up repeating old mistakes.  I just want better for the city.

[If_I_Loved_you]

Mayor Brown Four more Years! Four more years! Four more Years!

[sheclown]

I agree with Diane. I trust Lori Boyer

[edjax]

You just have the feeling she is the person to move Jax to the next level.  Unlike our current mayor.  She seems to get it.  Looks at the big picture.  I would go out of my way to support her. 

[carpnter]

Just about anyone would be better than our current Mayor.  He just seems to be completely inept at fulfilling the job he was elected to do.  I'd rather have someone that I have huge ideological differences with, but was a good manager and was willing to make the tough decisions.  We had two decent candidates in the primary, but they ripped each other apart in the debates and allowed Hogan and Brown to be the top two in the primary.