Mayor Curry files budget legislation that would enable hiring of more JSO Cops

[The_Choose_1]

Lenny wants to "make Jacksonville a safe city, will ask the City Council to approve hiring 40 more police officers and 40 community services officers in his proposed 2015-16 budget." http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/local/2015/07/15/mayor-curry-files-budget-legislation-would-enable-hiring-more/30219183/ But the libraries get screwed again, "Jacksonville Public Libraries campaign "Rebuilding JPL:2016" didn't make the cut. The library system wanted to restore some of the hours that were lost to deep spending reductions in 2012."

[Tacachale]

Sounds like a net gain so far. Pretty impressive for what we're dealing with.

[The_Choose_1]

"As requested by Sheriff Mike Williams, his office would get 40 more police officers and 40 community service officers, who are civilians able to respond to minor calls, such as traffic accidents. The community service officers would free up police officers to focus on more serious crimes." http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/local/2015/07/15/mayor-curry-files-budget-legislation-would-enable-hiring-more/30219183/  When we had the Community service officers before they were cut. How well did the regular JSO Cops stop crime?

[mtraininjax]

As usual, the folks who post stuff never read the entire story.....

Among the dozens of other projects on the list, Curry proposes to get started next year on plans to build new children's centers at the Highlands and Webb Wesconnett branch libraries. Each would get $20,000 for that work in 2015-16, and the following year each would be in line for $480,000 to build the centers in 2016-17.

So while the Libraries may not get all their funding back immediately, at least there is progress to develop centers for kids at libraries, so we don't need more police down the road to throw their butts in jail and then more jails and a larger courthouse, because we did not work to resolve the issue when they were kids.

Besides, the Library has their own "Friends of the Jax Library" to lobby for their own donations. What good are books if you can't read either!

[thelakelander]

More on this:

By David Chapman, Staff Writer

A steady thread throughout Mayor Lenny Curry's campaign was his desire to elevate public safety. Priority No. 1, he called it.
Not far behind was funding programs that benefit children and keep them safe before and after school.

His first budget speaks to both — and more.

According to budget legislation filed Wednesday, Curry wants to fund 40 more police officers and another 40 community service officers. He'll put $3 million more toward the Jacksonville Journey programs determined after a review.

Sam Mousa, Curry's chief administrative officer, has led a budget "swat team" for the past month that's pored over city departments for revenue and expenditures.

It's their work and Curry's priorities that went into Curry's first budget and that will formally be presented Monday to City Council.

The $1 billion budget also offers, what Mousa calls a "significant" capital improvement plan and an influx of new vehicles.

The city employee cap doesn't take a hit and city departmental budgets will at least stay at current levels.

"Some got a little more ... but nothing less," Mousa said.

It was done without a tax increase.

But for those who will be reviewing the budget, another of Curry's campaign promises rings true.

The total general fund revenue is $1,049,499,807. The total general fund expenses are $1,049,499,807.

A balanced budget, according to the charts. In the past few years, so-called "extraordinary lapses" showed undetermined cuts within proposed budgets.

Consider Council President Greg Anderson as among those with an early positive response.

"This budget has been balanced without an increase in taxes ... and it seems the basic services the city is providing will be maintained," Anderson said Wednesday afternoon.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=545793

[tufsu1]

Sounds like a net gain so far. Pretty impressive for what we're dealing with.

are you impressed by $27 million in borrowing?

I ask, because Mayor Brown got hammered for a similar request last year

[Tacachale]

Sounds like a net gain so far. Pretty impressive for what we're dealing with.

are you impressed by $27 million in borrowing?

I ask, because Mayor Brown got hammered for a similar request last year

No, I just didn't see it. Bad medicine.

[tufsu1]

Sounds like a net gain so far. Pretty impressive for what we're dealing with.

are you impressed by $27 million in borrowing?

I ask, because Mayor Brown got hammered for a similar request last year

No, I just didn't see it. Bad medicine.

its being used to buy new police/fire vehicles

[Tacachale]

Sounds like a net gain so far. Pretty impressive for what we're dealing with.

are you impressed by $27 million in borrowing?

I ask, because Mayor Brown got hammered for a similar request last year

No, I just didn't see it. Bad medicine.

its being used to buy new police/fire vehicles

Yeah, and the article also says $80 million total will be paid down in debt over this borrowing. I've never really understood the Banking Fund and why we keep it around.

[Steve]

Sounds like a net gain so far. Pretty impressive for what we're dealing with.

are you impressed by $27 million in borrowing?

I ask, because Mayor Brown got hammered for a similar request last year

I did notice that. Here's why I'm okay with it:

1. Because of the weird timing of our Fiscal Year-Election Cycle, the mayor has to present a budget 2 weeks into office. That sucks; you can only do so much in a short period based on results from someone else's fiscal year. I would say if he did this every year, this wouldn't be great policy.

2. Paying down $80 in debt. While I don't completely get the numbers (planning to request it but haven't yet), that seems like a good thing.

[fieldafm]

are you impressed by $27 million in borrowing?

I ask, because Mayor Brown got hammered for a similar request last year

Let's compare apples to apples, because its far from 'similar'. Brown's 2014 budget proposed to increase borrowering up to $230mm (which was up from the $42mm debt ceiling approved in the 2013 budget), using $16.8mm from the City's reserves accounts (an issue that may or may not have even been legally allowed) and included a whole host of spending projects (paid for with debt, not cash) that looked suspiciously like the kinds of projects that would win him political favor during an election year.

From a cursory review, Curry's budget looks tremendously more sensible and the much more moderate debt proposal will go towards fixing long deferred infrastructure and fleet maintenance expenditures.

While I don't completely get the numbers (planning to request it but haven't yet), that seems like a good thing.

I'll also add that in the last few years, the mayor's budget was kept under close guard until it was slapped on the City Council's desk... Curry's budget was released to media earlier this week (it gets formally presented to Council on Monday). It's been a much more transparent process and certainly much less of a surprise to the governing body that actually needs to approve it (City Council).

[Tacachale]

are you impressed by $27 million in borrowing?

I ask, because Mayor Brown got hammered for a similar request last year

Let's compare apples to apples, because its far from 'similar'. Brown's 2014 budget proposed to increase borrowering up to $230mm (which was up from the $42mm debt ceiling approved in the 2013 budget), using $16.8mm from the City's reserves accounts (an issue that may or may not have even been legally allowed) and included a whole host of spending projects (paid for with debt, not cash) that looked suspiciously like the kinds of projects that would win him political favor during an election year.

From a cursory review, Curry's budget looks tremendously more sensible and the much more moderate debt proposal will go towards fixing long deferred infrastructure and fleet maintenance expenditures.

While I don't completely get the numbers (planning to request it but haven't yet), that seems like a good thing.

I'll also add that in the last few years, the mayor's budget was kept under close guard until it was slapped on the City Council's desk... Curry's budget was released to media earlier this week (it gets formally presented to Council on Monday). It's been a much more transparent process and certainly much less of a surprise to the governing body that actually needs to approve it (City Council).

Thanks Mike. Makes a ton of sense.

[UNFurbanist]

Does there look to be any funding for the Trio or Barnett? My guess would be no but its worth an inquiry.