JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mayor Lenny Curry's proposed $1.4 billion city budget was approved Tuesday night in a marathon meeting of the Jacksonville City Council.
The budget was passed with a vote of 17-1. Rory Diamond represented the sole nay vote.
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Much of the budget's $70 million increase will go toward the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and gradual pay raise for city employees over the coming years.
There will also be money given to capital projects including more than $20 million on road resurfacing. The budget also includes money for the phasing out of septic tanks and public park enhancements.
The amount of money going toward the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office received the most criticism, particularly during the public comment part of the session.
About 40% of the budget is set to go toward the law enforcement department alone. Several activists from the Jacksonville Community Action Committee wanted to see money taken out from JSO and put into other community needs like mental health services and infrastructure.
The city council also passed a proposal that appropriated $114 million of federal COVID-19 relief funds. The proposal passed unanimously 17-0, with Reggie Gaffney recusing himself from the vote as part of the money is going to Community Rehabilitation Center.
$4 million of the federal funds will go toward finding a temporary solution to yard waste collection. The mayor's office tells First Coast News that some of that money will likely be used to purchase 14 recycling collection bins, which will be placed across the city for public use once recycling pickup is suspended next week.
Additionally, city council passed an emergency proposal to partner with Gaston's Tree Debris Recycling to further speed up the collection of yard waste. The company already has two sites in Jacksonville where yard waste can be hauled to and grinded down into much smaller, reusable materials, such as mulch or landfill cover.
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Another notable event to happen during the meeting was the withdrawing of a bill to rename the city council chamber after the late Tommy Hazouri, who died earlier this month.