by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The City Council’s Finance Committee covered the gamut of City budgets Thursday in what was supposed to be the third and final day of budget hearings. Because several budgets dating back to Aug. 16 took much longer than anticipated — and because members of the committee requested more time to either approve, amend or deny particular budgets and budget items — the committee will convene again next Thursday in Council Chambers for at least a morning session. Finance Chair Art Shad said an afternoon session is also likely in an attempt to send Mayor John Peyton’s $960 million budget on to the full Council for evaluation.
Thursday, the committee approved everything from Sheriff John Rutherford’s proposed $321.9 million budget — just about one-third of the City’s entire budget — to the relatively minuscule $3.4 million budget for the Performing Arts Center that is managed by SMG.
In between, two items within the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission were put what’s known as “under the line” until the committee can get more information. Those items were the $125,000 proposed to fund Peyton’s Blueprint for Prosperity initiative and $489,000 designated for sports events in the next fiscal year. Committee member Richard Clark originally proposed the Blueprint funding be eliminated altogether. Clark said recently that he doesn’t necessarily see the need for what he calls “endless studies” that rarely produce results.
“This (Blueprint) will continue on and on,” he said. “I don’t see it ending.”
Clark’s motion was eventually defeated. However, an amended motion was approved by a 4-3 vote.
Blueprint for Prosperity is entering its third year of existence and was created in an effort to raise the per capita income in Jacksonville. For the first two years, the program was overseen and partially funded by the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, which matched the City’s $125,000 contribution. Run by executive director Jarik Conrad, the first year was devoted to securing business partners willing to participate in a variety of programs all over town — all designed to help increase employment, create jobs and raise the per capita income.
Earlier this year, the Chamber voluntarily declined to take $750,000 worth of annual City funding as a way of demonstrating the Chamber and its members sympathize with the looming property tax cuts and consequential tough budget year. Within that $750,000 was the $125,000 for Blueprint for Prosperity. Peyton then decided to move the program out from under the Chamber’s oversight to the JEDC.
In response to the committee’s question about the progress of the program, Conrad said it is currently entering its second year of implementation.
“It was always scheduled for six years,” said Conrad. “We are trying to make a culture change and we are trying to change some of the chronic ills in Jacksonville. You can’t change those things overnight.”
Peyton’s Policy Chief, Adam Hollingsworth, said the understanding was private members of the Chamber would make up the $750,000 worth of lost City funding.
“In exchange, the JEDC would take over the administration of Blueprint for Prosperity,” said Hollingsworth. “The mayor made the determination to continue the funding for Blueprint.”
Committee member Art Graham asked Hollingsworth about the program’s progress to date. Hollingsworth said targets were established and the program is a community-wide effort.
“Given that we are so far behind, this is a 10, 15, 20-year process that’s in its infancy,” said Hollingsworth.
According to Conrad, there is a 47 percent gap between the per capita incomes of whites and blacks in Jacksonville. He also said the program is focusing on the five highest poverty zip codes in the city.
“An investment of $125,000 may result in much more than that coming into the community,” said Conrad. “We think this investment can yield some long-term results. No community in America can expect these numbers to change in a year.”
Committee member Denise Lee supports the program, but also believes many of its objectives are things the City is supposed to be doing through divisions such as Housing and through Community Development Block Grants.
“I don’t believe the taxpayers should be funding something City Council or the mayor should be doing,” said Lee. “The City has departments responsible for executing the goals of Blueprint for Prosperity.”
The committee approved the JEDC’s proposed budget of $12.4 million, however the $489,000 budgeted for sports events both under contract and several that aren’t occurring in the 2007-08 fiscal year were placed below the line until the committee has a better understanding of how potential and unscheduled events can be included in the budget.
Some of the items that will not happen next year but were within the JEDC’s budget include a college basketball tournament ($25,000), the Big East Conference/SEC basketball challenge ($29,000) and the Florida State/Alabama football game ($10,000). That game is Sept. 29 in Jacksonville Municipal Stadium — three days before the 2007-08 fiscal year starts.
Council Auditor Kirk Sherman explained that items placed under the line — and there have been others since the hearings started Aug. 16 — aren’t approved but aren’t denied either. The funds, he said, are set aside and the committee may approve or deny them at a future time.
In other budget news:
• Rutherford’s $321.9 million budget is dominated by salaries. Rutherford is asking for over $183 million to fund 2,991 positions — 1,665 sworn officers, 688 correctional officers and 638 civilian employees — and another 416,913 part-time hours. A fair amount of the sheriff’s operating budget includes the use of technology in fighting crime and locating criminals. Rutherford says the use of technology is paramount to cutting the crime rate in Jacksonville.
“We are cutting edge in our use of technology in catching the bad guys,” said Rutherford. “We have much better crime statistics than we did 30 years ago. We are also looking to make sure we have the best processes in place and the best people in those places. Our gun bounty program is working incredibly well and we are dismantling the drug (dealers) from the top down.”
Rutherford originally agreed to make cuts in five areas, but has since asked that the committee reconsider those cuts. Three of those include community service officers who oversee the inmates used to clean areas of town, funding for physicals for officers and funding for JSO’s victim services coordinator. Rutherford said the physicals may have actually saved the lives of some of his officers over the years. In some, problems with their livers, kidneys and forms of cancer were found.
“We have literally taken officers from the screening room to the emergency room,” he said.
The victim services coordinator, said Rutherford, is invaluable at a crime scene, especially a murder scene.
“The victim services coordinator is not there after the crime, this is the night of the crime,” he said. “At all hours of the night they provide comfort to the family of the loved one. These are horrific times and these families need them.”
The committee eventually agreed to approve funding for the victim services coordinator.
• Property Appraiser Jim Overton’s $9.3 million budget was approved with little debate.
“We have no comments and no recommendations,” said Sherman.
Of the $9.3 million, the City provides Overton with $8.9 million from its general fund. Overton ask for approval of 4,160 part-time hours, most of which will go to employees working when the tangible property taxes are being compiled.