Staff Writer
The City Council Finance Committee began its in-depth budget analysis of the mayor’s office and independent agencies Thursday as it looks for potential savings heading toward a Sept. 28 final budget vote.
The morning session began with a budget overview from the Council Auditor’s Office that included millage rate information and scheduled expenses and revenues, among other items.
The overview, a one-time presentation, included recommendations from the Council Auditor’s office that were acted upon.
The initial actions had some give-and-take, with $100,000 coming from the Landing, $3,000 less going to the Northeast Florida Regional Council and a tentative $250,000 budget boost to the Gator Bowl.
The first wave of individual City department budgets was scrutinized, with the Council Auditor voicing recommendations and concerns on several.
The Information Technology Department, the first of the departments analyzed, removed a vacancy. The Council Auditor’s Office also had concerns about its sustainability financially and recommended a revamped billing practice.
Analysis followed in the morning session for the General Counsel, General Capital Projects, Emergency Contingency, Central Operations, Finance, Medical Examiner, Health Administrator, Human Rights Commission and Housing Finance Authority.
The afternoon session focused on the Supervisor of Elections Office, JEA and Fleet Management.
Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland came before the Finance Committee to explain three requested additional expenditures.
Approved were requests for $23,400 in overtime expenditures associated with early voting on Sundays and $176,900 and $39,907 for possible additional costs associated with two-page ballots.
Denied was $67,497 in postage for return absentee votes. The office will have three elections in the coming fiscal year.
The lengthiest discussion, which began in the morning and continued in the afternoon, involved Fleet Management after Council member Daniel Davis proposed that the City not purchase any new vehicles for the coming year. The City potentially could save more than $560,000 by maintaining the existing fleet rather than buying new vehicles as well as saving on debt service.
City Fleet Management Manager Sam Houston said fleet vehicles have a point scale that determines when the effective life of a vehicle has expired.
Public safety vehicles were a concern, however. Council member Kevin Hyde proposed an amendment, which was approved, for each City department to analyze its new vehicle requests over the coming weeks to ensure that purchases couldn’t be withheld.
Future meetings will address additional departments. Davis said he was pleased with the first budget review meeting of the Finance Committee.
“I think it was extremely productive,” he said. “There’s a lot of collective wisdom here and we got a lot done.”
The next budget hearing is scheduled 8:30 a.m. Thursday at City Hall.
In other news from the meeting:
• Before the Council Auditor’s Office began its opening overview, Davis held a public comment session. Each of the speakers represented the Friends of the Murray Hill Library and advocated on behalf of the libraries whose hours are being cut. A session devoted to public comment will be Sept. 14.
• The first lengthy discussion of the morning centered on the $250,000 for the Gator Bowl. Council normally contributes that amount each year, although the Tourist Development Council picked up the tab last year tin a one-year agreement to assist the City in a tough budget year. The money came from the TDC contingency fund. Doing so again this year would drain the fund, said Council member Michael Corrigan, a TDC member. Finance approved the spending, but the measure will go back before TDC to seek partial assistance this year.
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