by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
If you commute via Beach Boulevard, you have seen the difference the new overpass at Kernan Boulevard has made on the flow of traffic through one of the city’s busiest intersections.
If you use Atlantic Boulevard on a regular basis, you’ve seen the progress being made on the Atlantic Boulevard/Kernan Boulevard overpass. If City Council doesn’t pass a bill aimed at financing the completion of that project, work on the $50 million project may come to a halt. And, work on another $450 million worth of Better Jacksonville Plan transportation projects will likely either stop or never get started.
According to Chief Administrative Officer Alan Mosley, some of those projects are in jeopardy due to lower-than-expected revenues being generated by the half-cent sales tax voters approved in 2000 when the Better Jacksonville Plan was on the ballot. Many of the transportation projects are being done in conjunction with JTA and both the City and JTA are struggling to generate the revenue needed to complete overpasses and road projects currently under construction.
During Monday’s Finance meeting, Mosley referred to a voter-approved tax that replaced the tolls as BJP1 and the half-cent sales tax as BJP2. Both, he said, are struggling to generate the expected funds.
“On its own, BJP1 is underperforming. It’s not sustainable,” he said, adding that last year the BJP2 tax was expected to generate $80 million, but only brought in $70 million. “It’s underperforming.”
Monday, Finance passed a bill that will allow the City to issue up to $300 million in Special Revenue Bonds. That money will help fund $230 million worth of projects currently under construction and another $300 million worth that are planned.
“This piece of legislation will perfect a remedy,” said Mosley. “This is the only remedy we see. We did not foresee the recession at this level.”
Mosley said one of the main issues surrounding the projects is getting JTA to the table to discuss the interlocal agreement between the City and JTA and the financing of the transportation projects.
Finance Chair Michael Corrigan suggested the committee defer the bill since there are several unanswered questions and support for the bill may have been lacking — there were only five Finance members present Monday and at least four votes are needed for a bill to pass.
“I am going to suggest we defer this today, but I think that’s a little disrespectful, to be honest,” said Corrigan, explaining that by the time the bill comes back before Finance, Council President-elect Richard Clark may have appointed a very different Finance committee.
Finance member Stephen Joost said it’s the City’s and JTA’s responsibility to complete the projects that are underway.
“We can’t have an overpass that’s half-done,” he said, adding he’s also leery of the City taking on additional debt, especially at a time when the budget talks are looming and programs are considered for the chopping block. “I am deeply concerned with the City’s debt and our (bond) rating. I am not in favor of new debt issuances, but we have to complete these projects.”
Rules Committee Chair Jack Webb said the bill was deferred by Rules after a 3-2 vote in favor of it.
“I think the expectations for the Better Jacksonville Plan were too optimistic,” said Webb. “This is more of a clean up bill, in my view.”
The half-cent sales tax approved in 2000 is set to expire Dec. 31, 2030.
Finance also approved the money needed to demolish the abandoned Park View Inn on North Main Street. According to Wight Greger of the City’s Housing and Neighborhoods Department, it will cost about $1.5 million to raze the building. She also said the land is worth about $1.45 million.
“So it will cost more to knock it down than it’s worth?” said Finance member Art Graham.
Finance voted 5-0 in favor of the bill that will use federal housing and neighborhood stabilization funds.
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