Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry makes his final budget proposal presentation

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry proposed the first property tax cut since 2007 in his budget proposal on Thursday morning.

This comes as residents battle inflation, many just trying to make ends meet.

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Action News Jax’s Kennedy Dendy was at City Hall as Curry made his presentation, during which people applauded every few minutes.

This was Curry’s final budget presentation as he heads into his final year as mayor of Jacksonville.

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Here’s what brought the crowd to their feet inside City Council chambers: a reduction of one-eighth of a mill to the current property tax rate.

But on the spending side, the budget still seeks to address several pressing needs in Jacksonville.

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The 2022-2023 budget includes around $1.5 billion of general fund spending. Curry said the Capital Improvement plan has nearly $500 million in new first year investments. Here’s how it breaks down:

• Downtown revitalization: $100 million
• Jacksonville parks: $108 million
• Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office: $37.5 million
• Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department: $34.7 million
• Road resurfacing: $26 million

That amount proposed for JSO is significant. The last city budget gave $502 million to JSO, so this extra money would secure around $540 million total, if approved.

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The City Council still has to approve the budget and then it would take effect Oct. 1. In Council chambers, Curry described the “record growth in Duval County.”

“I also want to thank the people of Jacksonville,” Curry said. “Thank you for your resilience, your spirit, and your continued strength in the face of adversity. A city is only as strong as the people who live there, and we are a city that is finally beginning to realize its tremendous potential because of you—the people of Jacksonville.”

CLICK HERE to read the full budget address.

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