The proposed special election for a half-cent sales tax referendum is slated for a vote Tuesday evening by the Jacksonville City Council.
The Duval County School Board wants to put the question to voters this November while the mayor has been adamant about waiting until the general election in November 2020.
At Large Group 4 City Councilman Matt Carlucci said Monday he plans to offer an amendment to go ahead and put the referendum on the November 2020 ballot
“I’d rather have a set date than to see the bill withdrawn because we’re trying to push a special election that logistically can’t be done.”
Carlucci said one of the things that bothered him about rushing to hold a special election this year was not having enough time to include overseas voters.
“You don’t have to send a ballot overseas to our military, but I would never put my stamp of approval where the military does not get the chance to vote on anything.”
Plus, Carlucci said, nailing down the date for the special election will let City Council members move on to other pressing issues, including the potential privatization of JEA and the development of Lot J next to TIAA Bank Field.
Monday the Duval County Public Schools Board voted to approve its plans to incorporate charter schools into its half-cent sales tax proposal in anticipation of Tuesday's City Council meeting, WJCT News partner The Florida Times-Union reported.
The vote was 4-3 with School Board Chairwoman Lori Hershey’s vote breaking the tie.
“There’s a will from this board to signal to our friends across the river that we’re moving forward with a plan to share dollars,” Hershey said, according to the Times-Union.
Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter at @cydwjctnews.
