OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Jacksonville Finance Committee Meeting – June 16, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, June 16, 2026
BodyJacksonville, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, June 16, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 45:44
Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

All right, Dustine.

0:05

Good afternoon.

0:06

It is one o'clock on June sixteenth.

0:09

We're going to go ahead and call the finance committee to order, and we will start with introductions to the left.

0:14

Brittany Norris for the administration.

0:16

Colin Hansey, Council Research.

0:18

Mary Stefopoulos, Office of General Counsel.

0:21

Philip Peterson, Council Auditor.

0:22

Good afternoon, Rory Diamond and George, District 13, the beaches.

0:26

Ron Salem group two at large.

0:28

Nick Allen at large, group three.

0:29

Joe Carlucci, District Five.

0:31

Will Lane and District 3.

0:34

All right.

0:34

And what kind of finance committee would it be without a presentation from our auditors?

0:41

Yeah, I know.

0:42

Through the chair to the committee.

0:44

The request of Councilmember Salem.

0:46

We looked into the emergency incidents fund to see its financial state.

0:52

And just so you're aware, the emergency incidents fund is where all emergency events, so tropical storms, hurricanes, COVID 19, they're all booked there.

1:22

But when examining the revenues and expenditures that have been recorded in that fund, and this mainly dates back to Hurricane Matthew was the last time that we prior to that, it had already been filled, if you will.

1:36

There was there was a zero balance going into that fund.

1:38

But looking at the revenues and expenses expenditures that have been recorded along with the anticipated revenues to be received from FEMA and the state, the fund as a whole is actually projected to be positive.

1:51

So this is largely due to actions that were taken by city councils and the mayor back in fiscal year 17-18.

2:00

$7 million was budgeted to go into this fund.

2:06

So that had been in the summer of 17.

2:09

Matthew had hit October of 16, and so we knew that we were going to have to fill some type of hole.

2:15

So $7 million was put in then and then the following year, fiscal year 18-19 budget, eight eight million dollars was contributed again because Irma had hit the prior year.

2:26

And so those two contributions are why that fund will be positive once it all shakes out.

2:33

But for those two contributions, it would have a hole that would need to be filled, but those will carry us into a positive manner going forward for any future storms.

2:42

Alright, Councilmember Salem, you're in the queue.

2:44

You recognize thank you, Chair.

2:51

I asked for this review because we haven't had a storm in a while.

2:59

Through the chair to Mr.

3:00

Peterson, theoretically, the amount that we would put out as a city is at five or ten percent that uh we owe the feds or the state on a storm, but we should get back everything other than that, correct?

3:17

Through the chair to council member Salem.

3:19

So most storms uh for the I'll say the lower uh event storms.

3:25

Uh the city is responsible for a 12 and a half percent contributions, 12 and a half from the city, twelve and a half from the state, and then uh from FEMA is 75% for uh Matthew and Irma that was decreased due to the severity that Jackson will experienced, and we were only responsible for a five percent contribution.

3:42

Uh the state picked up five and then FEMA contributed ninety, but normally it's that twelve and a half percent.

3:48

So, uh through the chair.

3:49

How much is in that fund today?

3:52

The fund is currently sitting at a negative eight million dollar cash balance, but we have outstanding claims with uh that have been approved by FEMA.

4:01

FEMA has transmitted to the state, the state is in the process of reviewing.

4:05

Once we receive those payments, and then there are other expected um expenses that are our anticipated expenses uh that fire rescue still has related to a couple of the more recent uh smaller tropical storms.

4:18

Um, once those are received, that will put the fund into the black and set us up for success in the future.

4:24

Do we need to put any money into that fund as we as we're now in hurricane season?

4:30

I mean, that's just the question through the chair.

4:32

Through the chair to Councilmember, say well, my recommendation would not be to put money in the fund because you would just be setting it aside for a future event.

4:40

I would recommend uh waiting to see if we have a storm and then addressing it at that time.

4:45

Thank you.

4:46

Thank you, Mr.

4:46

Peterson.

4:47

Thank you, Chair.

4:48

All right, Councilmember Lane, you're recognized.

4:49

Hey Chair, through your chair, Mr.

4:50

Peterson.

4:51

I remember talking to you about this, I think about a year ago.

4:53

The Irma and Matthew funds, that money's still there, I think uh to the dollar, right?

4:58

It's eight and seven million available.

5:00

Through the chair to Council Member Lane, and that's correct.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████████31%
Affordable Housing█████████████████████████25%
Fiscal Sustainability██████████████████████22%
Pending Litigation████████8%
Economic Development████████8%
Public Safety███3%
Zoning And Land Use███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Jacksonville Finance Committee Meeting – June 16, 2026

The Finance Committee convened at 1:00 PM and adjourned at 1:40 PM. Chair Joe Carlucci presided. The committee reviewed an update on the Emergency Incidents Fund, took action on multiple ordinances, and approved several items with amendments. Attendance included members Carlucci, Howland, Salem, Diamond, Lahnen, Pittman, and Arias (arrived at 1:22 PM).

Consent Calendar

  • None; all action items were individually considered.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made during the meeting.

Discussion Items

  • Update on Emergency Incidents Fund – Council Auditor Phillip Peterson reported that the fund has a positive projection, largely due to $7 million and $8 million contributions in FY 17-18 and FY 18-19 following Hurricanes Matthew and Irma. Currently the fund shows a negative $8 million cash balance, but outstanding FEMA reimbursements and anticipated state payments are expected to bring it into the black. Councilmember Salem recommended not pre-funding future storms. Will Lahnen noted the $15 million in prior contributions provides a cushion.
  • Item 2026-0418 (BCBS Parking Garage) – An amendment to the redevelopment agreement was offered by Councilmember Howland to clarify obligations regarding restrictive covenants. The amendment was approved, and the bill passed 6-0. The ordinance removes public nighttime/weekend parking rights and provides 24/7 parking for JSO, eliminates the requirement to refund a $3.5 million grant, and reduces minimum parking spaces from 750 to 742.
  • Item 2026-0447 (Risk Management System) – Tracy Flynn from Risk Management explained the $500,000 appropriation for a new information system. An amendment revised the funding source to retained earnings within the Self Insurance Fund and added a waiver for the use of operating reserves. Passed 6-0.
  • Item 2026-0454 (Special Revenue Bonds) – An amendment attached a revised project list and corrected scrivener’s errors. Councilmember Diamond asked about waiving competitive sale; CFO Anna Brosche explained the treasury’s procurement process. Councilmember Lahnen noted that CIP funding will be scrutinized during the upcoming budget. Passed 5-0.
  • Item 2026-0455 (Commercial Paper Notes Increase) – An amendment clarified the ordinance language. Councilmember Salem offered a second amendment to reduce the not-to-exceed amount from $250 million to $200 million on September 30, 2029, which passed. Council Auditor Peterson explained cumulative inflation since 2004 (75% equating to ~$260 million). Passed 5-0.
  • Item 2026-0457 (JHA Demolition Loan) – An amendment revised the funding source to General Fund Operating Reserves and clarified loan terms. Councilmember Howland questioned using general fund reserves; Councilmember Salem said it saves the city money over issuing debt. Councilmember Lahnen supported because the 2% rate is higher than recent 1% loans. Passed 6-1 with Diamond opposing.
  • Item 2026-0458 (Surplus Property for Affordable Housing) – Councilmember Pittman offered an amendment to remove one parcel (RE# 131783-0000). Councilmember Howland offered a second amendment to strike the waiver of Subsection 122.423(f), thereby requiring four educational workshops and newspaper advertising. Both amendments were approved. The bill then passed 7-0. Discussion included reverter clauses and valuation (~$200,000 total assessed value).
  • Item 2026-0463 (Baseball Grounds Improvements) – An amendment corrected the number of years and account information. Councilmember Lahnen questioned why the city was funding improvements not contractually required. Mike Weinstein (Mayor’s Office) explained the bullpen work was needed for Triple-A standards. Passed 4-3 with Howland, Diamond, and Lahnen opposed.
  • Items 2024-0627 through 2026-0377 were deferred at the request of various Councilmembers.
  • Items 2026-0489 through 2026-0499 were on second reading and read into the record.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved (with amendments):
    • 2026-0418: BCBS Parking Garage amendment – 6-0.
    • 2026-0447: Risk Management System funding – 6-0.
    • 2026-0454: Special Revenue and Refunding Bonds – 5-0.
    • 2026-0455: Commercial Paper Notes increase (with reduction to $200M after 2029) – 5-0.
    • 2026-0457: JHA loan for Downtown East Apartments demolition – 6-1 (Diamond nay).
    • 2026-0458: Surplus property disposition for affordable housing – 7-0.
    • 2026-0459: Settlement with David Washington ($180,000) – 7-0.
    • 2026-0460: JFRD grant ($4,360,470) – 7-0.
    • 2026-0463: Baseball Grounds improvements ($703,183.22) – 4-3.
  • Withdrawn: Item 2026-0444 (JFRD grant for rip current simulator) – 6-0.
  • Deferred: Items 2024-0627, 2024-0966, 2025-0361, 2025-0775, 2026-0227, 2026-0318, 2026-0320, 2026-0377, 2026-0445, 2026-0448, 2026-0449, 2026-0453.
  • Read 2nd & Rereferred: Items 2026-0489, 2026-0490, 2026-0491, 2026-0493, 2026-0494, 2026-0495, 2026-0496, 2026-0497, 2026-0498, 2026-0499.

Meeting Transcript

All right, Dustine. Good afternoon. It is one o'clock on June sixteenth. We're going to go ahead and call the finance committee to order, and we will start with introductions to the left. Brittany Norris for the administration. Colin Hansey, Council Research. Mary Stefopoulos, Office of General Counsel. Philip Peterson, Council Auditor. Good afternoon, Rory Diamond and George, District 13, the beaches. Ron Salem group two at large. Nick Allen at large, group three. Joe Carlucci, District Five. Will Lane and District 3. All right. And what kind of finance committee would it be without a presentation from our auditors? Yeah, I know. Through the chair to the committee. The request of Councilmember Salem. We looked into the emergency incidents fund to see its financial state. And just so you're aware, the emergency incidents fund is where all emergency events, so tropical storms, hurricanes, COVID 19, they're all booked there. But when examining the revenues and expenditures that have been recorded in that fund, and this mainly dates back to Hurricane Matthew was the last time that we prior to that, it had already been filled, if you will. There was there was a zero balance going into that fund. But looking at the revenues and expenses expenditures that have been recorded along with the anticipated revenues to be received from FEMA and the state, the fund as a whole is actually projected to be positive. So this is largely due to actions that were taken by city councils and the mayor back in fiscal year 17-18. $7 million was budgeted to go into this fund. So that had been in the summer of 17. Matthew had hit October of 16, and so we knew that we were going to have to fill some type of hole. So $7 million was put in then and then the following year, fiscal year 18-19 budget, eight eight million dollars was contributed again because Irma had hit the prior year. And so those two contributions are why that fund will be positive once it all shakes out. But for those two contributions, it would have a hole that would need to be filled, but those will carry us into a positive manner going forward for any future storms. Alright, Councilmember Salem, you're in the queue. You recognize thank you, Chair. I asked for this review because we haven't had a storm in a while. Through the chair to Mr. Peterson, theoretically, the amount that we would put out as a city is at five or ten percent that uh we owe the feds or the state on a storm, but we should get back everything other than that, correct? Through the chair to council member Salem. So most storms uh for the I'll say the lower uh event storms. Uh the city is responsible for a 12 and a half percent contributions, 12 and a half from the city, twelve and a half from the state, and then uh from FEMA is 75% for uh Matthew and Irma that was decreased due to the severity that Jackson will experienced, and we were only responsible for a five percent contribution. Uh the state picked up five and then FEMA contributed ninety, but normally it's that twelve and a half percent. So, uh through the chair. How much is in that fund today? The fund is currently sitting at a negative eight million dollar cash balance, but we have outstanding claims with uh that have been approved by FEMA. FEMA has transmitted to the state, the state is in the process of reviewing. Once we receive those payments, and then there are other expected um expenses that are our anticipated expenses uh that fire rescue still has related to a couple of the more recent uh smaller tropical storms. Um, once those are received, that will put the fund into the black and set us up for success in the future. Do we need to put any money into that fund as we as we're now in hurricane season? I mean, that's just the question through the chair. Through the chair to Councilmember, say well, my recommendation would not be to put money in the fund because you would just be setting it aside for a future event. I would recommend uh waiting to see if we have a storm and then addressing it at that time. Thank you.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com