by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
When Mayor John Peyton first started pitching his $972 million budget, one of the mantras was “doing less with more.” That means fewer people offering the same services, if not more. It means fewer capital projects and lean personnel budgets void of lapse positions that may or may get filled.
Jacksonville Economic Development Commission Executive Director Ron Barton has taken that to heart. Thursday, the City Council Finance Committee approved his proposed 2008-09 budget, one that’s once again less than the previous year. With the exception of a few accounting recommendations from Council Auditor Kirk Sherman and his staff, Barton escaped the Finance Committee relatively unscathed.
“We fared fine. We agreed, in essence, with the Council Auditor’s findings,” said Barton. “We had a discretionary budget of $4.7 million last year and the proposal for this year is $4 million.”
Barton – whose budget includes 18 employees – said the $700,000 difference will not result in any drop in services the JEDC provides or any lessening of the organization’s goal of economic development in Jacksonville, especially Downtown and at Cecil Commerce Center. In years past, the JEDC has relied heavily on outside consultants to help lure new business to town and expand the current economic environment. That will change in the next fiscal year.
“We will have to make it up with smart people and hard work,” he said.
While Barton avoided too much scrutiny, Bob Downey didn’t. As general manager of SMG – the company contracted to manage and maintain several City-owned facilities which include Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, Veterans Memorial Arena, the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, the Osborn Center and the Equestrian Center. According to Downey, one of the biggest issues he’s facing in the next budget year is a total dearth of funds for any kind of major maintenance project. The stadium went through a major overhaul in 1995, just before the Jaguars started playing, and there were other renovations before the 2005 Super Bowl. However, he says, the stadium and the T-U Center both need plenty of work and there isn’t any money available.
“There is not a nickel of capital money set aside for the performing arts center,” Downey told the Finance Committee. “We have received zero dollars for maintenance of the stadium. There are things at the stadium that are still breaking.”
According to Downey, there are sizable leaks in the suite and clubs levels at the stadium, leaks that became more apparent during the torrential rains courtesy of Tropical Storm Fay.
“The building needs to be maintained and repaired,” he said. “We can stand there and look at it or we can repair it.”
During the discussion, Downey asked the Finance Committee to approve an amendment to his budget that would allow him to transfer up to $750,000 from one budget to another depending on the status of the budgets and the needs at a particular facility. According to Sherman, SMG is a private company that is permitted to abide by its own procurement rules and not the City’s. However, Downey still needs permission to transfer major dollar amounts between the budgets of the venues.
“We recognize they will use their purchasing process, which is pretty much in line with ours,” said Sherman, adding SMG should have to come to the Finance Committee for anything considered an “extraordinary” expense. “As soon as they find out their need, they will let us know.”
According to Downey, the $750,000 figure isn’t indicative of the cost of most major repairs, so regardless what the Finance Committee ultimately approves, he will likely have to seek the permission of the Committee to transfer funds and perform major maintenance projects.
“The irony is we have no money this year for those projects,” said Downey.
The next Finance budget hearings are set for Thursday starting at 9 a.m.
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