Several city council members representing Jacksonville’s urban core neighborhoods met today to talk about restoring funding for services and programs that could see big cuts next year.
District 9 Councilman Warren Jones called the meeting.
“The concern that some of the council members have is they want to make sure we’re very thrifty in our funding of programs but at the same time, I don’t want to jeopardize programs that benefit low to moderate income people.”
Especially the ones that help children, Jones says.
“When we start talking about closing parks and pools, those are children’s programs. We look at after school programs and when we start looking at a safe haven for kids to go that have been suspended, those deal directly with our youth and I want to make sure that those dollars are restored and those kids have a safe place to go.”
Jones says his other spending priorities are senior citizens, recreation and crime prevention.
Raising the millage rate by 1.5 percent, he says, will generate around $14 million which is enough to restore a lot of the money being cut from next year’s proposed budget.
The council is expected to vote on the final rate at their Sept. 24 meeting.
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