As Jacksonville City Council prepares to cut the property tax rate, the union leaders of the city’s first responders said Sept. 5 they are against the reduction.
Mayor Donna Deegan’s proposed $2.02 billion 2025-26 budget does not include a cut, but Council has been laying groundwork to reduce the millage rate by one-eighth of a mill. The cut from 11.3169 to 11.1919 mills in Jacksonville, with varying rates in Baldwin and the Beaches, would reduce the city’s revenue by about $13 million.
Kelly Dobson, the president of the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters, and Randy Reaves, president of the local Fraternal Order of Police, issued a joint statement against the proposed cut, which was approved by the Council Finance Committee and now awaits a vote by the full Council. The statement was also addressed as a letter to the Council.
Dobson and Reaves said their organizations have suffered from pay cuts, pension reductions and stagnant wages in the past as the city has tried to balance its budget. They said they feared a millage rate reduction would further hurt the city’s ability to support public safety in coming years.
“Jacksonville has worked hard to shed its reputation as a ‘training ground’ for first responders who leave for better pay and benefits elsewhere. This rollback threatens to reverse that progress,” the statement said. “Reducing revenue without a sustainable plan will jeopardize our ability to recruit and retain the best and brightest for the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
“History has a way of repeating itself. We’ve seen what happens when short-term savings lead to long-term setbacks.”
The statement also said the millage reduction would have compounding effect, echoing concerns from Deegan’s office and other opponents of the cut. Assuming tax revenue rises annually due to population growth and new construction, each year the city will lose out on a growing portion of that money unless the rate is raised.
The statement from Dobson and Reaves reflects comments made by Deegan. At a town hall meeting about her budget, she said public safety was just barely funded in her proposed budget, and that cutting spending would hurt public safety. She also argues that the reduction would provide little in savings for property owners.
One mill is equal to a $1 tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value. For the owner of a Jacksonville property with an assessed property value of $200,000 and a $50,000 homestead exemption, the annual tax savings would be $18.75.
“I’m grateful to our Jacksonville fire and police unions for having the courage to speak out,” Deegan said in a news release. “They’re right. We’ve seen this movie before and we don’t want to see it again.”
Through the budget review process, the Finance Committee cut more than $27 million from proposed spending to social programs. However, they did not cut spending from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office or the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
Council President Kevin Carrico, who has been pushing for the tax cut, responded to the police and fire letter in a statement:
“Both police and fire are fully funded with the largest budgets in our city’s history,” Carrico said. “Public safety remains my top priority, and I’m proud we delivered property tax relief while still fully funding essential services. Jacksonville families deserve safe neighborhoods and lower taxes — and the proposed budget achieves both.”
Council members who have supported the tax cut have repeated that public safety would not be hurt by their actions.
To assuage concerns, Council member Randy White on Sept. 3 proposed taking $13.4 million from the city’s reserves and setting it aside in a separate fund for public safety.
Council Vice President Nick Howland said he felt the city was spending enough on public safety that the city wouldn’t have to touch those funds.
Several Council members supporting the millage rate reduction previously said they would not support pulling money from the reserves in any situation.
Public safety represents the biggest chunk of the city’s proposed budget, taking up 51% of Deegan’s spending plan. The mayor says Jacksonville spends more per capita on public safety than other large Florida cities – Orlando, Tampa and Miami.
Council is set to vote on the millage cut on Sept. 9, with a vote on the full budget coming Sept. 23. At least 10 Council members have publicly supported the millage cut, enough for the 19-member body to pass it. At least six Council members are expected to vote against the cut.
Finance Committee Chair Raul Arias did not respond to a request for comment.