For 13 years after the consolidation of the Jacksonville City and Duval County government, we wore a badge of honor that Jacksonville had the lowest property taxes in Florida. They generally were lower than any place else in America.
Year after year, Mayor Hans Tanzler refused to offer even the slightest property tax increase. Most years, he and the City Council took great pride in reducing the millage rate.
It was what we bragged about. Keeping taxes low was proof the new consolidated government was far more efficient and less costly than the previous local system.
But, there was one big problem.
Year after year, as the City lowered taxes we also went without investing in new infrastructure needed for growth or even maintaining what we owned.
Roads weren't built. Potholes weren't filled. Drainage issues in some parts of the city were never addressed. Water, sewer and electric utility-plant maintenance was pretty much non-existent. Light poles in the baseball park next to the decaying Gator Bowl leaned and were about to fall.
In some ways we really could claim being the "Bold New City of the South." Yet, underneath the bumper-strip slogan capital investment in public works projects just didn't happen — and we continued to boast about cutting taxes.
When Jake Godbold became mayor in 1978, in some ways he inherited a crumbling city that required great attention.
Remember the old auto repair advertising slogan? "You can pay me now, or pay me later."
Well, because we didn't invest much for about 13 years, we paid a lot to catch up.
Godbold made a strong case to the community about what needed to be done. He then fixed the problems that were broken from neglect and invested money to prepare for the future.
Following Godbold, three other mayors engaged the public in gaining approval for projects that have played major roles in moving Jacksonville forward.
Mayor Tommy Hazouri led the referendum fight to remove tolls on some of our major roadways leading into and out of town, replacing the toll funds with a sales-tax increase.
He was followed by Mayor Ed Austin who seized on a citizen-led Jacksonville Insight program to invest millions of dollars in public projects called the "River City Renaissance." The program's results include the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, saving the former May Cohen's building Downtown and turning it into City Hall, and clearing a downtrodden LaVilla for development.
In his last term, Mayor John Delaney persuaded the community through a referendum to invest in his Better Jacksonville Plan, which has built and rebuilt roads and bridges all over town and constructed the Arena, Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville and the unpopular Duval County Courthouse.
One thing Godbold did was persuade the Council to pass a 6-cent local gas tax, which has been extended twice by two mayors and a pair of Councils since it was first enacted. The millions of dollars from that gas tax have been a major source of funds for road construction and maintenance.
Now, Mayor Alvin Brown, who has stood strong the past two years against raising any taxes, says he will not recommend extending the gas tax before it is scheduled to end in 2016.
This is Brown's promise, on top of reducing needed public works funds since he was sworn in almost two years ago.
The Florida Times-Union recently has reported that spending on public works projects in the past two years has dramatically fallen. Funds being spent the 2012-13 budget year are just $47.4 million, half of what they were the year before and less than one-third of what Peyton invested ($168.2 million) in 2010-11, his last year in office.
Brown regularly talks about taking Jacksonville "to the next level," but we won't make it there with words alone.
The City — and taxpayers — must be willing to invest in the future and not simply sit still while the house around us falls down.
There's no question that we don't want high taxes to dampen sales and new construction.
We also want and expect our government to be efficient and lean.
If the City doesn't invest in roads and utilities, if libraries are closed and neighborhoods are unsafe because of a reduction in police officers, we also have to realize that our industries won't be sound because people won't want to live in Jacksonville.
New businesses won't relocate here.
Brown is correctly reaching out to businesses and civic and religious organizations to build partnerships to help Jacksonville become a better city.
But, it's the government that builds roads, keeps libraries open and makes neighborhoods safe and that takes money.
Not money recklessly spent, but money wisely invested.
Jacksonville Community Council Inc. is pressing forward and doing great work in its effort to have the community shape what we want Jacksonville to be in 2025. The goals are shaping up with a consensus.
As a next step, JCCI wants to see if people are willing to pay for their dreams.
The outcome will be interesting.
One thing is for sure: the public must have confidence that if it agrees to invest money in the future, our City officials are up to doing it right.
If the mayor buys into a community consensus on our future, then he must be willing to sell that vision to the entire community. That includes spending the funds needed to take us "to the next level."
— Jim Bailey is publisher of Realty/Builder Connection and president of Bailey Publishing & Communications Inc. He can be reached at [email protected].