Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan unveiled a $1.95 billion budget proposal to City Council on Monday — but not before joining elected officials in calling for unity and hope after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

The traditionally exciting and occasionally jovial atmosphere at the start of the mayor’s annual budget address was replaced this time by a tone of solemnity. City Councilman Ken Amaro, a Republican, led with an opening prayer calling for unity and for God to help bring “a tone of civility to this great nation.”

Deegan, a Democrat, echoed the somber sentiment.

Holding up a calligraphic image of the “Prayer of St. Francis,” Deegan shared what the gift meant to her — that it normally sits on her desk to be in constant view.

“I look at it probably 100 times a day, both for a reminder and also for, frankly, just comfort,” Deegan said. She recited the prayer: “Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. …”

After reading the entire prayer to a packed City Hall gallery, she called for love and unity.

“Maybe sometimes you get tired, how much I talk about the importance of love and unity. But I think we see over and over again — that is our only way forward,” Deegan said. “I know we can’t change everything in this nation by our behavior. But we can be the spark. … So as we all continue to try to grapple with yet another tragedy in our country, let’s be the ones that sow love.”

Budget shortfalls

Deegan then tackled the business at hand — the stark reality of a $1.9 billion general fund budget, plus a $489 million, 2025-portion of the Capital Improvement Plan that suffers from lower property tax revenues, a significant hike in population growth and the sunset of federal pandemic funding through the American Care Act.

In other words, Deegan said, more money is needed to fund the vital needs of the city and some plans are getting waylaid. 

“It’s because our population is growing so rapidly that nearly all our ad valorem taxes go to pay for critical public safety needs. This is also the first budget in years when we no longer have American Rescue Plan money available to spend on important programs,” the mayor said

Despite that, the city is able to add 40 police department positions and rebuild several fire stations as it tackles public safety needs.

But Deegan went on to say how “many deserving projects” had to go unfunded. 

“Our team had to make difficult choices,” Deegan said. “It meant truly prioritizing the vital over the important.”

For instance, at least 100 projects have been completely removed from the city’s proposed capital improvement plan and at least 46 projects are set to undergo “substantial changes,” documents show.

Among the big ticket items that must be delayed are a new jail and a temporary detention center which, with an early estimated price tag of at least $1 billion, may not have been a surprise to anyone that it would be delayed.

Other items removed from the budget include $500,000 for “countywide” confederate monument removal. 

Stadium deal

Asked if the community benefits agreement with the Jaguars has changed since last month, Deegan told a room of reporters that the plan remains the same.

City Council approved a $1.4 billion stadium agreement with the Jaguars in June, but the council postponed discussing millions of dollars in community benefits — funded by the city and the Jaguars — until budget discussions.

The Jaguars agreed to kick in an extra $50 million if the city matched it.

“Same plan, as far as I’m concerned,” Deegan said. “I think when you look at the priorities of this budget — affordable housing, workforce development, homelessness — those are things that … we wanted to put additional dollars for those in the (Community Benefits Agreement). … It’s not that we wouldn’t go in and do those in future years, but if you can grab another $50 million from the Jaguars — that they will continue to invest in those programs — that’s a pretty good deal.”

Deegan said her administration will continue to work through those priorities in the agreement.

City Council President Randy White created a special committee Monday to delve deeper into that part of the stadium deal.

The Special Committee on the Community Benefits Agreement was created to “ensure these key investments will pay dividents over the decades to come and that all residents of Jacksonville are positively impacted,” White’s announcement said.

A bill regarding the benefits is expected to be filed Wednesday, with hearings running through August and a final vote Aug. 27.

Committee members include council members Raul Arias, Jimmy Peluso, Nick Howland, Will Lahnen, Amaro and Tyrona Clark-Murray.

Tapping reserves

Deegan’s budget calls for dipping into the city’s reserves. “To maintain the same level of service while accounting for our fast population growth, we are funding a handful of essential one-time expenses from our operating reserves,” the mayhor said.

Council Finance Committee Chair Ron Salem thinks dipping into the reserves isn’t exactly an ideal plan.

“Using reserves, to me, sets a bad precedent,” Salem said after Deegan’s budget address.

But Deegan, in a news conference after her announcement, defended the plan.

“Reserves are meant for one-time expenses,” Deegan said. “That’s what they’re there for.”

The mayor said that even with the expense, the annual operating reserves would be at 20%, which is double the amount mandated by city ordinance.

“We have such strong reserves for times such as these,” Deegan said. “But let me be clear, we have to look at everything we do with fresh eyes.”

Deegan was referring to a joint effort by her administration and City Council to “clean up” the capital improvement plan. 

The mayor said the city’s capital improvement plan carried the weight of projects that never got beyond the concept phase and that caused a threat to the city’s credit rating and financial strength.

“Today our (capital improvement plan) is leaner, more responsible and more representative of reality with hundreds of millions of dollars of old, never-started projects,” Deegan said. 

She added that while the city has “struggled to keep the promises of consolidation,” the proposed budget addresses infrastructure, health, affordable housing and workforce development.

The budget, for example, includes $50 million for the design and move of the Museum of Science & History. It also includes $16,645,657 for Hogans Creek stormwater improvements.