Two of the city’s 11 public buildings have been closed to the public – and vacant – for years, but they are costing nearly $90,000 a year in utilities charges.
The structures are the former City Hall and Duval County Courthouse along East Bay Street.
The utilities are maintained at the minimum for fire and safety reasons, said city spokeswoman Tia Ford.
The City Hall building was mostly vacated in 1997 when the executive and legislative branches moved to St. James Place at Hemming Park.
A few city departments stayed behind, such as the Office of Sports and Entertainment and the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, since renamed the Office of Economic Development.
After those departments moved, the State Attorney’s Office located some functions into the building in June 2012 and it was renamed the Courthouse Annex.
That was when the judicial branch of local government moved into its new courthouse at 501 W. Adams St. in LaVilla.
The structures now are vacant and Mayor Lenny Curry wants to demolish them so the site can be ready for development.
In the meantime, taxpayers are footing the bill to keep the power on.
In the past 12 months, JEA has billed the city $89,724.66, comprising $47,371.91 for electricity and $42,352.75 for water, sewer service and fire sprinkler system charges for the two buildings.
Ford said according to the Public Works Department, the HVAC systems are not operating, but the bills from JEA indicate power consumption.
On the most recent bill dated July 13, the service period from May 31 to June 30 indicates usage of 27,200 kilowatt hours and a $2,310.91 charge at the old City Hall.
The water bill indicates none was used but included a basic charge of $630 and a sewer charge of $1,158.30, plus $22.83 for overhead sprinkler service.
During the same period at the old courthouse, electric consumption is shown at 20,247 kilowatt hours for a charge of $1,645.85.
The water bill is in two parts. One charge is $630 and the other is $100.80, both for no water consumption.
In addition, there is a $9.25 fire pump electricity charge and a $5.58 fire sprinkler charge for water.
Gerri Boyce, spokeswoman for JEA, said electricity is being used at both locations whether people are there or not.
As for the water and sewer charges, even with no consumption, the city is being billed the basic monthly charge.
“They haven’t cut service, so they still have the option to use the service, so they still pay the basic monthly charge,” she said.
Curry proposes the city spend $8 million to demolish the buildings to prepare the sites for a potential private developer.
City Council’s Finance Committee is scheduled to convene a budget hearing on the proposed Capital Improvement Program at 9 a.m. Aug 23 at City Hall.
Utilities: August 2016 to July 2017
Total: $89,724.66
