As the Jacksonville City Council begins dissecting Mayor Donna Deegan’s $1.9 billion general fund budget, don’t be surprised if the figure of $47.2 million comes up several times in budget talks.
That is the amount Deegan is proposing to spend from operating reserves during the city’s 2024-25 fiscal year, which begins in October. The city has about $350 million in operating reserves, or about 18.5% of the total proposed budget. Reducing the operating reserves to $303 million would make it about 16%.
The chair of the influential Council Finance Committee immediately raised a flag on it after seeing Deegan’s budget for the first time July 15,