Staff Writer
City Council member Daniel Davis, chair of the Council Finance Committee, was offered another role on Wednesday.
Local Republicans chose Davis to replace Jennifer Carroll on the ballot for the November general election. The News Service of Florida reported that because Davis faces no opposition, he will take the District 13 state House seat vacated by Carroll when she became Rick Scott’s gubernatorial running mate last week.
Davis didn’t talk about the role at the finance committee meeting Wednesday morning. Instead, he focused on the City’s new fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.
Davis is a former council president. The committee continued to tweak the budget following its regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday.
The committee approved funding a $350,000 City wellness program. Supporters said the 16-week program for nutrition and exercise for qualified City employees will focus on reducing or eliminating costly claims for eight diseases. Davis opposed the measure during its initial discussions and was the lone member to vote against it Wednesday.
Subcommittees chaired by finance committee members concerning tree maintenance and mowing, fuel costs, and negative cash in funds outside the general fund had different outcomes.
Under tree maintenance and mowing, committee member Michael Corrigan said further discussion was scheduled for Sept. 16. Davis later made a proposal that would change language and allow up to 25 percent of the City’s tree mitigation trust fund money to be allocated for tree maintenance, up from its current 10 percent.
Committee member Ronnie Fussell reported that after meeting with the sheriff and fleet management to discuss discrepancies in fuel costs and rates, the current structure worked best.
Under negative cash in subfunds, it was decided to further examine the issue during the Council’s midyear budget review.
The courts travel and training budget, the only department that wasn’t officially reviewed during the last budget session, eliminated $3,000.
In the final acts of the meet-
ing, the committee tentatively approved four budget-related bills, including three levying the millage rates and one regarding the work the committee has done on the budget to date.
For the greater Jacksonville area, the assessed value of real and personal property in the greater services district is $49.5 billion, with a millage rate of 10.12 mills generating estimated revenue of $478.8 million.
For the Beaches, its assessed value of $4.88 billion and millage levy of 6.83 would generate an estimated $31.8 million. For Baldwin, the assessed value of $48.88 million at an 8.52 rate would generate an estimated almost $400,000.
A public comment session on the budget is scheduled Sept. 14.
“We’re getting close to the goal,” said Davis.
In other news from the meeting:
• In the works since last year, a measure regarding Assistant Management Improvement Officers was passed following a substitute by Council member Glorious Johnson. Originally created during Mayor Jake Godbold’s administration, the positions are hired, compensated and assigned at the discretion of the mayor.
Currently, the City has 190 across all departments. With the measure, there would be a cap of 20 such positions throughout the City, including offices of constitutional officers.
The City’s human resources department would maintain job specifications and descriptions of each position, including pay range, and would submit an annual report along with the supervisor-to-employee ratio.
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