JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Opposition is mounting against the $13 million property tax cut in the proposed budget before Jacksonville City Council.
In a joint statement put out by the local Fraternal Order of Police and Jacksonville Association of Fire Fighters, the unions wrote that the cut “Has a compounding effect that will severely damage the ability of our city to pay for needed public safety issues in the years ahead.”
Mayor Donna Deegan, who has also publicly voiced opposition to the cut, issued a statement thanking the unions for speaking out.
“We’ve seen this movie before and we don’t want to see it again,” said Deegan.
But some top Republican council members aren’t backing off the proposal.
Council President Kevin Carrico (R-District 4) highlighted record funding for police and fire in the budget as currently proposed, even with the property tax cut included.
“Public safety remains my top priority, and I’m proud we delivered property tax relief while still fully funding essential services,” said Carrico.
Former Council President Ron Salem (R-Group 2 At-Large) also remains committed to the cut, even when asked whether it may be characterized as defunding the police due to the union’s opposition.
“That’s a false narrative. They know that we will fund police and fire first with the dollars we have in the budget,” said Salem.
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The concerns over public safety are also being echoed by a local business group.
“Reducing revenue at this time is inconsistent with maintaining public safety, ensuring quality of life, and managing growth,” members of the Jacksonville Civic Council wrote in a letter to council members.
But Salem argued with the budget nearly doubling over the just the past decade, spending needs to be reigned in and given back to the taxpayer wherever possible.
“This budget has gone from $1.2 billion to $2 billion over the last seven or eight years. We don’t have a revenue problem, we’ve got a spending problem,” said Salem. “I see people on the aisle debating what to put in their cart and that bothers me. And anything I can do, and this is the only thing we can do from a city council standpoint, is to cut the millage, put these dollars in their hands and hopefully make their lives a little easier.”
Council will vote on whether to roll back the millage rate Tuesday night.
If approved, the decision cannot be reversed and the rate will be locked in.
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