City Council Leadership Meeting: Councilman Salem's Final Year Briefing – June 10, 2026
City Council Leadership Meeting: Councilman Salem's Final Year Briefing
Attendees included outgoing Council President Salem and the incoming Council President-elect. The meeting focused on Salem’s remaining priorities, budget challenges ahead of a November referendum, and strategies for downtown development funding.
Discussion Items
- Clubhouse at Blue Cypress Golf Course: Councilman Salem highlighted a joint venture with Jacksonville University (JU) to build a clubhouse. The course recently expanded from 9 to 12 holes, and the clubhouse would serve as a venue for the JU golf team and the public. It is already a Capital Improvement Project (CIP) item approved under a previous $50 million bond. He hopes construction begins this year.
- JP Small Hall of Fame: Salem described a $10 million investment in JP Small Field, including recent upgrades (lighting, field). The final major component is a Hall of Fame outside the left field wall, intended as a museum featuring Negro League memorabilia in partnership with former owner Peter Braken. He believes it could become a tourist attraction off I-95 in the heart of Durkeyville.
- Doge Completion: Salem committed to finishing the Doge initiative in June. A meeting the following Tuesday would complete a health care analysis with rate recommendations. He noted that last year the city had to supplement health care costs with $21 million plus $5 million to reserves, urging administration to consider recommendations.
- Special Committee on JEA: The committee’s last major interview is in two weeks, and a survey is ready to go out. Salem stated it is not the committee’s job to act on the information but to forward it to the board. The product may roll into July.
- Capacity Issue: Salem and the President-elect agreed the capacity issue needs to be resolved and then presented to the board for a decision on collection dates.
- Budget Process and November Referendum: Salem expressed interest in the budget process, calling the upcoming budget “very challenging.” The President-elect noted the November referendum on homestead exemption expansion will clarify financial constraints. He proposed pulling $50 million (minimum) out of the current budget to prepare for potential revenue loss, with a possible special meeting in December to release funds if the referendum fails. They discussed a previous model of a $25 million special release. The President-elect warned that future councils could face $200–$300 million shortfalls if the exemption expands.
- Downtown Development and Funding Alternatives: The President-elect mentioned the public’s right project as a catalyst for downtown, costing $28 million, but questioned affordability. Salem suggested creative funding options: treating loans like low-interest mortgages (e.g., $10 million over 20 years with $500k annual repayment plus interest), equity stakes, or other mechanisms. They noted completion grants have reduced red in the five-year plan but revenue constraints limit cash for non-core projects. Reserves are for core services and emergencies, not new projects.
Key Outcomes
- Agreement on Budget Cuts: Both agreed to pull at least $50 million from the budget. The President-elect emphasized that the city cannot depend on November’s outcome; cuts are necessary now. They considered raising the cut from the current 2% (~$3.8 million) to 5% or more, noting only the Inspector General’s department has proposed savings so far.
- JEA Committee: Survey results and final interviews will be forwarded to the board by July.
- Healthcare Analysis: Recommendations from the Doge committee to be delivered Tuesday; administration urged to adopt them.
- Capacity Issue: To be resolved and presented to the board for decision.
- Funding for Downtown Projects: Further debate needed; alternative sources (loans, equity) to be explored.
- Councilman Salem’s Role: He committed to assisting the President-elect with any needs, serving on committees, and contributing to the budget process in his final year.
Meeting Transcript
Thanks to Councilman Salem for a fantastic eight years for all you've done for your community and your city. It's been I think you've had a a market effect, positive effect on the city and its citizens. Let's talk about your parties. Okay. Well, thank you for those for those comments. I appreciate it. Um don't have it is my eighth year, and uh to me the eighth year is more to complete some things that I'm I'm involved with, and uh two very important passion projects for me are the clubhouse at Blue Cypress golf course. Okay. As you probably know because I've talked about it three thousand times. We have added the three holes out there. Yep. And it the golf course is now twelve holes. Uh it's been uh very popular, it's been a great thing for the course. They thanked me. They they were very skeptical, but now that it's out there and people are playing it, they're they're very supportive. Um the next component to that is a clubhouse that uh will be a uh a joint venture so to speak of the city and JU. And uh uh I've seen a design of it, and uh Daryl Joseph, who is has become a dear friend over the years, is uh is meeting with J U and we hope to get construction uh moving in this year to get that completed and uh um that will be the clubhouse for the JU golf team as well as a venue for golfers uh to uh have lunch, check in, kind of a regular clubhouse for a city facility like that. So um I'd like to get that moving, if not completed at least. Is that a CIP item? Uh, we own it. It's already it was approved during that uh $50 million a dollar thing that I think you were involved in that Randy White chair. Yeah, got it. Okay. Um the second one that's uh a passion project that's very similar to that is JP Small. Okay. Um we we are investing ten million dollars in JP Small. I don't know if you've been out there. I have and you've seen the the field and all those things and the new lighting and uh all those things are already in place. The the last major uh component of that is the Hall of Fame uh that will be built out outside the left field wall. Okay. And uh I've seen designs of that, and uh um it will clearly be a museum, and uh there's uh we're having discussions with uh the old owner uh Peter Braken because he's got a collection as well. We want definitely want uh a bunch of uh African-American par uh paraphernalia from from the Negro League and all that stuff in there as well. And so I'm hopeful that that will be ongoing and and at least construction started as far along as we can, because I really believe that that could be a a tourist attraction for people coming off I-95. For sure. And where that Hall of Fame is going is at one of those three corners that is kind of that the heart of Durkeyville. That's exactly right. And it's pretty run down now, but it has so much opportunity for improvement. I I you and I share the same thoughts. Yeah. So getting those two as far along as I can in the next year are very important. Fantastic. And uh it's it's a lot of it is me working with Daryl. I mean, and Daryl is uh as excited about them as I am. Okay. Um a few cleanup things as I committed to you is to is to complete Doge uh uh in June. Yep. We have a a meeting Tuesday, which will complete the health care analysis with some recommendations on rates and such. Um that uh I I hope the administration is paying attention and will uh take under consideration. Um I think beyond uh as uh as our good friend Councilman Laden has said, health care, the completion grants and and the garbage fee. Well, we've solved the garbage fee issue.
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