JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville City Council punted on a pivotal vote that would have decided whether to cut property taxes by $13 million Tuesday night.
With one Republican councilmember absent from the meeting, the measure appeared to be headed towards a 9-9, which would have resulted in the cut failing.
Instead, council voted on whether to maintain the current tax rate, which after a series of three separate votes, ultimately passed.
But the move doesn’t mean the tax cut is dead.
Instead, council members indicated they will bring the tax cut proposal up for consideration during the final budget vote in two weeks.
“This Council has the chance to put $13 million back into taxpayers’ pockets this year and nearly $70 million over the next five years,” said City Council President Kevin Carrico in a statement Tuesday night. “On September 23, with the full Council present, we can reject higher taxes once and for all and deliver real relief for Jacksonville families.”
In recent days, Republican councilmembers in particular have been pulled in multiple directions.
Police, fire and business groups came out in opposition of the cut, while the Republican Party of Florida threw its weight in support of the proposal.
On social media, the RPOF posted party leaders would be watching the property tax cut vote to see “who stands with taxpayers - and who does not.”
“We collected over $120 million more than we expected to this year. The mayor’s budget spends it all,” said Council Vice President Nick Howland (R-Group 3 At-Large).
Howland is among those making the case for the cut.
“All we’re doing is giving a little bit of that back to taxpayers, rather, letting them keep a little bit more in their wallet,” said Howland.
But Councilmember Jimmy Peluso (D-District 7) argued “a little bit” is an understatement, with savings for the average homeowner only expected to amount to about $24 per year.
“To give people $2 a month when the needs are not being met at the level that we should, it’s just not in the best interest of our city,” said Peluso.
Peluso is hoping his colleagues think long and hard before casting their vote, as if the cut passes, he argued the impact on the budget will be felt for years to come.
“Our names are not going to be in lights in 10, 20 years, but the decisions we make today could have a long-term effect on the future stability and success of our city,” said Peluso.
Expectations are that when the cut comes up for a final vote on the 23rd, assuming all 19 members are present and no one changes their position between now and then, it will have the 10 votes needed to pass.
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