Several important issues were discussed in Tuesday’s city council meeting. One of those items was the city's $1.37 billion budget for the next fiscal year.
Some other heavily debated issues include the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana.
The city's budget was approved 18-1. The nearly unanimous vote breaks a four-year streak by Mayor Lenny Curry, whose previous budgets were approved unanimously.
The only "no" vote came from council member Garrett Dennis. He says the budget doesn't address all the city's needs, but some who voted yes feel it does.
"I took a stand and said this budget reflects the needs of a few, it doesn't reflect the needs of our entire city," Dennis said.
The budget includes an additional $42 million for the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office.
Councilman Rory Diamond says there is some money put aside for capital improvement programs including the Mayport docks.
"1.5 million for the docks, and that's over the next three years…they [the residents] want to see an active working waterfront again," Diamond said.
An item that failed was councilman Dennis' push to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana.
"As a city, city council, we're on the wrong side of the history, and unfortunately it was because I introduced the bill, not because of the merit of the bill," Dennis said.
Rory Diamond thinks that a bill like this should have the support of police.
"You need your officers with you step by step…JSO was adamantly opposed to the bill, out of deference to their expertise and those carrying out the work, we agreed to them," Diamond said.
One item that was not discussed but gained a lot of attention is the effort to close down Internet cafes.
There's a large push to close down internet cafes in Jacksonville.
A few months ago the city council voted to close all arcades with simulated gambling devices next year.
On Tuesday night, a city councilwoman created a bill that would close all internet cafes immediately.
City council members said in the past that closing these cafes down is not about the legality of the simulated gambling, but about public safety.
People that work and play in these arcades say that crime is an issue everywhere, not just at the arcades
Carolyn Hicks is retired and says the arcades are a fun activity.
"It's our money, we've worked for it all these years,” she said.
She says the workers and customers are like family.
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All around the machines inside Spin City Arcade on Beach Boulevard, you can see signs asking the city to save the arcades.
Months after arcades were labeled public nuisance workers like Sonya Sehoul made their voices heard at city council Tuesday night.
"If the city council saw how we operated these arcades they would have a different opinion," Sehoul said.
It's important to note that gaming facilities were targets for criminals.
In June, the city council voted to shut down all arcades in 2020.
A review by Jacksonville City Council says between 2013 and 2018, the sheriff's office got over 28,000 calls for service to nearly 100 simulated gaming places.
Tuesday's bill would’ve called for an immediate shutdown of the cafes.
First Coast News reached out to councilwoman LeAnna Cumber who introduced the bill, and she hasn't returned our calls.
Hicks feels that crime can be found all around the city and Internet cafes are not the problem.
"They're not closing gas stations down when they get robbed, why close this place down," Hicks said.