President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” could be coming to Jacksonville by way of amendments to the city’s proposed budget.
Republican Jacksonville City Council member Rory Diamond wants to make material changes, aligned with the conservative push to yank spending from areas of opposition, to the $2 billion budget proposed by Democratic Mayor Donna Deegan.
“I am sick of seeing young Americans working hard and doing everything right while they lose hope of the American dream; all the while being taxed into poverty,” the second-term Council member said.
Diamond, a member of the Finance Committee, has at least five suggestions he will float during deliberations ahead of the final September vote on the spending plan.
He seeks to cut property tax by $100 million without cutting spending for first responders. However, money for “illegal aliens,” what he described as “so-called” Diversity Equity and Inclusion, “affinity boards and commissions,” and for “abortion and abortion-related services” would be on the chopping block.
“Mayor Deegan’s budget is rife with money for woke programs with no substance. The burden on taxpayers is skyrocketing. Enough is enough. I am announcing the ‘Big Beautiful Budget Amendments’ to bring sanity back to Jacksonville, and to reward tax paying citizens for doing the right thing” Diamond said.
Much of Deegan’s budget proposal, though it may increase the burden on taxpayers, is anodyne, including a shaded structure for the downtown Veterans’ Memorial Wall.
Additionally, $100,000 for Fintech incubator Jax Hub and a $1 million workforce center for the Urban League are in play, along with $12 million for affordable housing and to combat homelessness.
More than $100 million in parks spending is also contemplated, including $87.5 million for riverfront parks. Additionally, more than $20 million would be spent on the Community Benefits Agreement that was part of the Jaguars’ stadium deal, with $14 million of that evenly allocated in the 14 Council districts.
But public safety, as is traditional, is the big spend, with nearly a billion dollars allocated, including more than $100 million in salary and pension boosts.
The Sheriff’s Office is set to get everything it asks for, with $638 million in proposed money this year. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department would get $387 million if the budget is approved as written.
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