Mayor Alvin Brown is sitting on the horns of a dilemma and his decision may be better than his reaction.
When his Retirement Reform Task Force released its 51-page plan for solving the city's police and fire pension fund crisis last week, it handed the mayor a strong recommendation to do something he has insisted he is not going to do: embrace raising taxes.
The task force called for a new half-cent sales tax that will generate close to $50 million a year to help reduce the huge $1.7 billion unfunded pension liability. The plan calls for the city to pay another $150 million annually over 14 years.
But the Bill Scheu-led task force gave the mayor a way out: The sales tax has to be approved by the voters.
So, Brown can still be opposed and just let the voters decide.
But that's not leadership.
There is no doubt this is a bitter pill for everyone in the city to swallow, not just distasteful politics for the mayor.
Consumers will pay more. Police and fire pensioners will give up some benefits and pay more.
But Jacksonville cannot move forward without resolving this financial crisis hanging over the city like a chronic storm.
It's likely once the City Council has digested the recommendations, it will vote to put the sales tax issue on the November ballot.
That will give Brown three choices: sign the legislation, let it become law without his signature or veto it.
If the mayor signs it or allows it to become law without his signature, that is only another step in the process.
But, Brown needs to do more.
He needs to hold his nose and swallow hard while leading the charge to inform the voters why this is so important to all of Jacksonville.
After presenting the plan, Scheu said, "It's time to step up and be leaders, that's what it's all about. These leaders will go down in the history of Jacksonville as having the courage to do what is right."
But on the other hand, Scheu said, "If they fail, they will have an entirely different legacy."
Brown and the council have an opportunity to fix what's been broken for years. What they decide will have an impact on what goes on in this city for years into the future.
Brown has dodged being a leader on tough issues the past couple of years, including the human rights ordinance and realistic budgets.
If the mayor can get the pension crisis put to bed before the end of the year, it could be a game-changer for him as he heads into next spring's election.
If not, next March a new leader may emerge to lead Jacksonville to its true potential.
Extension for Downtown towers is best option
When John Rood told the city he needs more time before making full payments on the loan principals for 11E and The Carling in Downtown Jacksonville, I know some people said, "Here we go again."
It was just four years ago the council voted to defer principal payments by Rood's company, Vestcor, for three years, due in large part to the impact of the recession.
Rood is asking for another three-year deal where Vestcor will make interest-only payments on one loan and interest and half principal payments on the other. More than $29.4 million is still owed by Vestcor to the city on the two properties.
Rood is making tax payments and he is spending money to do repairs and maintain the buildings, which are 90 percent occupied and still foundational to the future of Downtown.
He's a true believer in the importance of having a strong Downtown to have a great city.
If Rood had not stepped up several years ago to form a partnership with the city and save these aging and iconic structures, they'd probably be boarded up, or by now, bulldozed.
When Rood opened the buildings, people moved in.
But, as we do so often, the city failed him and those Downtown residential pioneers by not providing anything for them to do.
We needed to ensure their environment was "whole" to make their neighborhood self-sufficient. We are still struggling to do that.
I think we're lucky Rood is willing to continue. The buildings are a benefit for the city, and if he is eventually successful, it will pay off for him.
The options are not good. The city could foreclose and be in the real estate business or we can grant another modification and ride it out.
As a member of the Downtown Investment Authority, I suggested we think about reducing Vestcor's notes closer to the appraised value of the buildings in exchange for an equity position in the properties.
All developers should want to reduce their notes, and in this case, the city could benefit down the road.
I happen to think Rood knows what he is doing and at this point, he has options, but they aren't pleasant for him or the city.
For Rood to continue to pay taxes, upkeep and improvements, means he sees the potential.
Maybe we should listen.
Connecting the dots
The more and more we go on, the more and more some things never seem to change.
For instance, we have people all across the local landscape who have their hands on all of the pieces, but we often fail to put together the full puzzle.
We continue to have problems connecting the dots.
Take the Southbank Riverwalk as the most recent example.
As we move toward a now $17 million renovation and full extension down to the school board building, why aren't we addressing how more people can access the new and reborn Riverwalk?
Shouldn't we be looking at nearby spaces where families and visitors can park to this multimillion-dollar downtown amenity?
Like downtown development, human rights and future budgets, let's do it right as we move forward.
A little leadership will help connect those dots.
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