JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A special city committee held an emergency meeting to propose additional changes to the $94 million community benefits agreement.
The committee worked for nearly two months on the city portion of funding, which includes money for countywide initiatives like homelessness and workforce development.
The Jaguars looked at the deal before it went before city council for a final vote Tuesday and had concerns.
The committee's initial framework included $40 million over seven years for Jacksonville's Eastside, $40 million over 33 years for countywide initiatives, and $14 million for city council districts, $1 million for each council member.
The Jaguars were concerned about the term length for the countywide initiatives. The committee came to a compromise and created an amendment shortening the term to 15 years.
The second amendment set the total contribution from the '24-'25 budget towards the CBA at $5.995 million.
Committee chair, Raul Arias, said all of this money is for countywide efforts.
The final amendment, proposed by Arias, to add a workforce housing element to the Eastside and countywide efforts.
Committee member, Nick Howland, created an amendment saying if the city fails to bring in enough revenue to fund crucial items, like police fire and emergency services, the city could hold off on funding the CBA that budget year.
"We have about 6/7 amendments altogether. I want to say and I feel pretty solid about where we're headed and because like I said, we put a lot of work into it, a lot of time into it to actually have the conversations in the debate. So, heading into Tuesday, we may see another amendment come up. But for the most part, I feel pretty confident that the full body will recognize our work here in the CBA," Arias said.
If the CBA is approved Tuesday, the Jaguars will then be ready to bring the entirety of the Jaguars stadium deal to NFL owners in October for final approval.