Mayor Alvin Brown presented to City Council his proposed $953 million fiscal 2013-14 City budget this morning, a plan that calls for more than $60 million in service cuts.
Brown described the cuts as including closing six libraries and reducing hours to other branches, closing three fire stations, shuttering community centers, reducing funding for youth-related activities and having "hundreds" of layoffs in the public safety sector.
"I don't want to make these cuts. You don't want to make these cuts. They are not acceptable for the long-term good of our city," Brown told Council.
One option to reduce the deficit not included in Brown's plan is a tax increase.
"Tax increases are not the solution. Deep spending cuts are not the solution," Brown said.
Asked by Council member Robin Lumb if he would veto any budget that included an increased property tax millage rate, Brown said he "absolutely" would.
Brown instead framed the solution as pension reform and specifically his proposed plan to save $1.2 billion over 30 years, including $45 million for the coming fiscal year and $100 million over the next five years.
Council member Greg Anderson, chair of the Council Finance Committee that will review Brown's budget, said the two issues should be separately addressed.
"They can't be tied together," Anderson said.
The committee will review the budget as Brown proposed it and not consider any potential pension savings, he said.
The full Council still must vote on Brown's pension reform proposal, which is under review by a 11-member task force that will offer recommendations on the measure by the end of August.
Others, such as the Jacksonville Civic Council, have voiced their opinion that the reform proposal does not save enough money.
Brown used the reform proposal as a dominant theme throughout his budget presentation, saying it's "not just about one year's budget" but instead would be a "historic" step in taking Jacksonville to "next level" – a term he often has used and said was not empty rhetoric. He provided examples of improving the port, veteran services and public education as benefactors of pension reform.
He also briefly discussed a new line item, $1 for the Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The office will work to secure funding from foundations, grant support and partnerships with the JAX Chamber and small business advocates, he said.
After Brown's presentation, Council President Bill Gulliford said he disagreed with the way the budget was created by taking a 14 percent cut from each department.
Instead, Gulliford said Brown should have prioritized his cuts, using an example of someone cutting entertainment dollars from a budget instead of a grocery allocation.
Gulliford said he hopes the proposed budget is balanced, unlike the past couple of years when there have been errors that were corrected during Council budget hearings.
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