The Jacksonville City Council has passed a pension reform package in an effort to reduce the city’s deficit of more than $1.6 billion. Three council members voted against the bill, while 16 voted for it despite many of them expressing reservations.
Just after the vote Tuesday evening, council member Bill Gulliford said the measure goes a small way toward reducing debt, but the council still has its work cut out for it going forward.
“We need to put all politics aside, we need to put all partisanship aside, we need to come up with a solution, and everything—and I mean everything, including taxes—needs to be on the table," Gulliford said. "This is time for big boys and big girls to step up to the problem and solve the doggone thing.”
The Police and Fire Pension Board is scheduled to vote on the reform package later this month. After the change, newly hired law enforcement officers and fire fighters will face significantly reduced benefits compared with veteran officers. Because of that, some council members expressed concerns about employee retention before Tuesday’s vote.
