Hours after the budget passed Wednesday, layoffs and accepted resignations began in a move that shouldn’t have been unexpected Mayor Alvin Brown said Thursday.
Addressing the media before a speech to the Economic Roundtable of Jacksonville at Jacksonville University, Brown said the shakeup at City Hall was part of streamlining government “to make it more effective and efficient.”
In total, 23 mayoral appointed positions were dismissed and 30 civil-service employees’ jobs were eliminated by way of the passed budget. Those are in addition to other cuts since July 1.
“It was not a surprise,” Brown said of the cuts. “People knew that it was coming.”
The cuts and dismissals are part of Brown’s reorganization of City government and a plan will be rolled out “in the next several weeks.”
“We are going through a process right now,” Brown said. “We’re focusing on the next phase, that’s reform.”
That could include more City layoffs.
“I’m focusing on what’s next and that’s more reform,” he said. “It impacts everything … the reality is we have to live within our means.”
Brown then addressed the Roundtable, addressing his vision for the City for the future.
He continued to stress the creation of advisory councils in areas such as military affairs, Downtown, the port and quality of life. Nine such councils were proposed as part of his budget, but were eliminated by City Council during budget hearings. Finance members dubbed the councils and other proposed entities reorganization through the budget, which they discouraged and said needed to be done outside the budget process.
He said the process was more “than moving boxes around” and that he sought to help the private sector bring jobs to Jacksonville.
“I know what companies want,” he told the group. “They want certainty in the marketplace.”
He said Jacksonville was well positioned for economic recovery and discussed opportunities at the port and Cecil Commerce Center that would help the city “compete in the new economy.”
Following reorganization, or as he said, “the part that nobody likes,” Brown said pension reform was needed and he looked forward to a time of prosperity that would fill his schedule with “ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings” across the city for new construction projects.
“We can get there,” he said.
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