The Jacksonville City Council is expected to approve its annual budget Tuesday evening.
One of the most contentious issues has been whether council should approve a priority of Mayor Lenny Curry: hiring 100 new police officers.
Curry said the additional officers would restore cuts made to the force over several years. However, many public commenters at city council meetings have said the focus should be on better police training, not more people on the force.
The mayor is also asking the council to approve an $8.4 million investment in Edward Waters College, which would include remodeling a dorm and building a football field that would be open to the community for recreation.
However, Councilman Danny Becton wants that money diverted to building water and sewer lines instead. He will be offering an amendment before the vote.
In addition, Councilman Garrett Dennis wants to require the Public Works department to budget $25,000 to provide sandbags for residents during storms. Some other Northeast Florida counties, like St. Johns, offers the bags for free. But Curry has said Jacksonville just doesn’t have the money.
The proposed budget also includes about $130 million for capital improvements, including the demolition of the old courthouse to prepare for development along downtown Jacksonville’s Northbank.
The budget must be approved before the new fiscal year begins Sunday.
Lindsey Kilbride can be reached at lkilbride@wjct.org, 904-358-6359 or on Twitter at @lindskilbride.
