Jacksonville, Fl — The morning after an 18-1 vote, Jacksonville City Council President Nick Howland celebrated a flat budget that fully funds public safety, critical infrastructure and core services.
“We had to do that because we face revenue uncertainty ahead of Amendment 3 on the ballot in November. Staying flat was the responsible thing to do,”, Howland told Jacksonville’s Morning News.
Howland voted against $5 million for affordable housing that was originally cut from the budget, saying the city already supports affordability in a deliberate way.
“We’ve spent over $79 million on housing affordability issues across Jacksonville just in the last two or three years,” Howland said.
In advance of Amendment 3, which would rollback homesteaded property taxes over multiple years, Howland said city auditors are already pouring over plans to reduce spending if it passes.
The council auditors have projected a nearly $200 million shortfall in the first year if Amendment 3 passes on November 3.
“So there would be a lot of belt-tightening to happen,” Howland said.
E-Bike Ordinance Approved:
City Council voted unanimously on a new e-bike ordinance aimed at improving safety on city sidewalks and shared pathways.
It sets a 15 mph speed limit for e-bikes on sidewalks and shared pathways citywide. And it requires retailers to provide riders with speed limit information.
“JSO has had some concerns about enforcement simply because the ordinance will only supply a certain number of speed limit signs for e-bikes. That said, we’ll look to figure out other ways to ensure we get the word out about the new law,” Howland said.
The ordinance is intended to reduce the risk of serious injuries and deaths resulting from collisions with vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.
JTA Funding Woes:
Now that the budget is behind them, Howland told WOKV the Council will be looking very closely at JTA, which is working to close a $39 million budget gap.
In July, Howland established a financial audit and oversight committee.
“We will look, probably stand up that committee to look specifically at JTA and potentially even reopening the local option gas tax to see if we can shift some projects around,” Howland said.
JTA is laying off approximately 200 employees. The Skyway is scheduled to end operations on November 2nd. And NAVI shuttles will stop running on January first, saving $487,000 a month.
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