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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Jacksonville Finance Committee Budget Hearing - Day 2 - August 14, 2026

City Council — Friday, August 14, 2026

BodyJacksonville, Florida

SessionCity Council

DateFriday, August 14, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:31:35

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:01

Good morning and welcome to day two of the budget hearings to discuss the fiscal year 26-27 proposed budget.

0:09

Let's go ahead and start off with introductions to my left, Miss Moyer.

0:14

Angela Moyer, budget office.

0:17

Mike Weinstein, Mayor's Office.

0:19

Philip Peterson, Council Otter.

0:21

Brian Parks, Council Otters' Office.

0:23

Mary Stepopoulos, Office of General Counsel.

0:25

Good morning, Rockman.

0:26

Johnson District 14.

0:28

Good morning, Rory Diamond, District 13, the beaches.

0:30

Good morning, Chris Miller, at large group five.

0:32

Will Lane in District Three.

0:34

Good morning, Terrence Hydrating Freeman at large group one.

0:40

Mike Gay, District Two.

0:42

Randy White, District 12.

0:44

Nick Howland at large, group three.

0:47

Ron Salem, group two at large.

0:49

Matt Carlucci at large group four.

0:58

I pray today is a lot less frustrating than yesterday.

1:02

All right, good morning.

1:04

Frustrating.

1:05

I had I thought it was fun yesterday.

1:07

A few uh housekeeping things.

1:09

Uh first off, so if you looked at the schedule, Councilmember Marr, you're recognized.

1:13

Through the chair.

1:14

It may have been fun to you, but when you're watching it on the other end, it doesn't appear that way.

1:19

Well, thank you for tuning in.

1:20

Uh a couple things.

1:22

Uh you may have noticed on the schedule.

1:23

So JAA is not presenting today, and due to that, I do expect it to be an earlier day.

1:29

Uh, or at least that is my hope uh going into the afternoon.

1:33

Uh we will have a uh break for lunch as well.

1:36

Uh two housekeeping things also.

1:38

Um, no surprise woke up, saw in the news that we cut a lot of money yesterday.

1:43

However, I wanted to go through what we did yesterday.

1:46

Yesterday, we reviewed 1.5 billion dollars of the budget.

1:52

From that, we amended 0.86 percent of the budget that was presented to us.

1:58

So I want to make the point that over 99 percent of the budget that was proposed to us was approved yesterday, and we amended 0.86 percent.

2:08

So again, just trying to keep that perspective that of all the stuff we did yesterday, all the work, all the different budgets we went through, we the legislative body of the 10th largest city in the country amended 0.86 percent of that.

2:22

So again, just trying to keep perspective on what actually happened yesterday.

2:26

Uh one other thing, the only thing we didn't get to yesterday was the Wolfson's request for the additional almost two million dollars.

2:33

I know there is talk about a noticed meeting potentially.

2:36

Uh I said it that I am good with that.

2:38

Uh, Dr.

2:39

Joshi and some uh representatives from Baptist and others walked me through that.

2:42

I will be a yes when it comes up to vote for it.

2:45

But I also understand if you do have questions, uh try to get them answered.

2:49

Dr.

2:49

Joshi did all uh volunteer that he could present what he walked me through a few weeks ago uh at a budget meeting.

2:56

That may be easier than trying to get a notice meeting.

2:59

So I'll look for head nods around the uh the dice.

3:02

Would you like me to do that instead of trying to set up a notice meeting?

3:07

Right.

3:07

And again, I try to limit the amount of presentations we have during the budget hearings, but seeing how this is the only item we did not get to.

3:15

Uh Councilmember Freeman, you're recognized.

3:18

Uh sure.

3:18

And and I will always defer to the chair and the council president, so no problems with that.

3:22

Um I just wanted to make sure that uh in the discussion, if any party is mentioned that is not here, then I'm going to ask again that we give all parties a chance to that are in part of this conversation to be here for it.

3:34

That is a great point.

3:35

And I I think the parties would be uh because again, we're only talking about the Wolfsons piece.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Budget█████████████████████████████████████████████47%

Technology and Innovation███████████11%

Pensions████████8%

Public Health███████7%

Emergency Preparedness█████5%

Procedural████4%

Personnel Matters████4%

Military Installation Readiness███3%

Public Service Grants██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Jacksonville Finance Committee Budget Hearing - Day 2 - August 14, 2026

The Jacksonville City Council Finance Committee convened its second budget hearing on August 14, 2026, at 9:00 AM to review the Fiscal Year 2026-27 proposed budget. The committee covered major departments including the Mayor's Office, Public Libraries, Technology Solutions, Police and Fire Pension Fund, Finance, Risk Management, Employee Services (Group Health), and Military Affairs & Veterans. Over 99% of the budget presented on the first day was approved, with only 0.86% amended. The meeting adjourned after completing all scheduled items, with remaining issues (Wolfson's request, WJCT, and a legal opinion on conference facilities) deferred to a noticed meeting on August 17 or 18, 2026.

Consent Calendar

Advisory Boards & Commissions: No recommendations; budget passed without objection.
Library Conference Facility Trust: Approved a recommendation to reduce contractual services by $40,000, offset by a reduction in the transfer from the general fund, positively impacting special council contingency by $40,000.
Technology Solutions: Approved a recommendation to amend Schedule B4A to correct customer billing amounts for the library print and computer management system ($400,000) and the JFRD electronic patient care system ($500,000), with no impact to special council contingency.
Police and Fire Pension Fund: Approved recommendations to adjust personnel costs by $7,308 and decrease operating expenses by $20,387 to reflect accurate allocations, with no impact to special council contingency.
Finance Department: Approved two recommendations: (1) increase miscellaneous service and charges revenue by $37,448 (positive impact on special council contingency), and (2) reduce lobbyist contract budget by $30,000 to keep amounts flat with current contracts (positive impact on special council contingency).
Driver Education Safety Trust: Approved a recommendation to increase the budget by $157,835 to account for the increase in the civil traffic penalty fee from $3 to $5, with no impact to special council contingency.
Employee Services (General Fund) and Group Health Fund: No recommendations; budgets noted.
Military Affairs & Veterans: Approved a recommendation to fund the food pharmacy program via direct contract with a term sheet, with no impact to special council contingency.

Public Comments & Testimony

No public comments were recorded during this meeting.

Discussion Items

Housekeeping and Wolfson's Request: Chair Lahnen noted that the Wolfson's Children's Hospital request for additional funding (nearly $2 million) was the only item not addressed on Day 1. Councilmembers debated whether to hear a presentation or proceed with a noticed meeting. Councilmember Freeman requested all parties be present. It was determined that a noticed meeting already scheduled for the following week would handle the item, and no presentation was made during this hearing.
Mayor's Office Budget: Councilmember Diamond moved to reduce the mayor's office budget by $245,000 to match the year-over-year percentage increase of city council's compensation line. After debate, the motion passed on a voice vote. The administration argued the cut was performative, noting they would restore funds through transfer authority. Councilmembers White and Carlucci opposed the cut, suggesting it was unfair without input from new Chief of Staff Darnell Smith.
Public Libraries: Director Rogers discussed the future of libraries, noting a 30% increase in physical library usage over three years and double-digit growth in digital borrowing. He explained that ebooks cost libraries 4-12 times more than physical books. The budget includes $45.7 million in expenditures. A discussion on the conference center fee structure noted a 10% rate increase approved in March 2026, with the goal of making the fund self-sustaining.
Technology Solutions: IT Director Kendrick confirmed that the personnel payroll management system (OneCloud) project cost is estimated at $27 million, up from an earlier projection. The project supports public safety payroll of over $35 million bi-weekly. The five-year IT plan was reviewed, with several projects removed or added.
Group Health Fund: Presenter Parks outlined major changes: a 60% premium increase for non-FOP/IAFF plans, largely absorbed by the city (employee change no more than +/- $5 per pay period). The default plan will shift to a high-deductible HSA-eligible plan. An AI-powered prescription navigation platform launches in October 2026. Rebates will move from annual to quarterly payments, increasing cash flow. The city is also bidding out the pharmacy benefit manager and Gallagher. Councilmember Salem praised the reforms as long overdue.
Cooling and Warming Centers: Chief Ayub reported that in the past year, warming centers operated for 10 days serving 207 people, and cooling centers operated for 1 day serving 101 people (total 308 in 11 days). He emphasized the program is a national model, partnering with JTA for free transportation. Councilmember Johnson commended the effort.
Military Affairs & Veterans: Director Conyers provided an update on the Veterans and Military Families Community Center, an 8.6 million dollar project with 400,000 in CIP for site prep. He also discussed the USS Jacksonville sail superstructure being transported from Seattle to Jacksonville for display near the Orleck.

Key Outcomes

Mayor's Office Budget Reduction: Approved a $245,000 reduction (Diamond amendment) to align salary growth with city council's rate.
Finance Department Lobbyist Contracts: The committee clarified that lobbying contracts total $450,000 annually, unchanged from the prior year (Langton and The Florida Group). A recommendation to keep contracts flat was approved.
Group Health Fund: The administration confirmed no further employee premium increases beyond $5 per pay period, with the city covering the majority of the 60% increase. The default plan change and AI prescription tool are scheduled for October 2026.
Next Steps: The next budget hearing is scheduled for Thursday, August 20, 2026, covering courts, tax collector, supervisor of elections, Office of Administrative Services, solid waste, fleet management, parks, and planning. Independent authorities will present on Friday, August 21, 2026. The Wolfson's request will be addressed at a noticed meeting on Monday or Tuesday of the following week.
Contingency Balances: As of the hearing, referendum contingency stands at $7.6 million, designated go-to reserves at $12.7 million, and special council contingency at $2.5 million, totaling $22.8 million.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning and welcome to day two of the budget hearings to discuss the fiscal year 26-27 proposed budget. Let's go ahead and start off with introductions to my left, Miss Moyer. Angela Moyer, budget office. Mike Weinstein, Mayor's Office. Philip Peterson, Council Otter. Brian Parks, Council Otters' Office. Mary Stepopoulos, Office of General Counsel. Good morning, Rockman. Johnson District 14. Good morning, Rory Diamond, District 13, the beaches. Good morning, Chris Miller, at large group five. Will Lane in District Three. Good morning, Terrence Hydrating Freeman at large group one. Mike Gay, District Two. Randy White, District 12. Nick Howland at large, group three. Ron Salem, group two at large. Matt Carlucci at large group four. I pray today is a lot less frustrating than yesterday. All right, good morning. Frustrating. I had I thought it was fun yesterday. A few uh housekeeping things. Uh first off, so if you looked at the schedule, Councilmember Marr, you're recognized. Through the chair. It may have been fun to you, but when you're watching it on the other end, it doesn't appear that way. Well, thank you for tuning in. Uh a couple things. Uh you may have noticed on the schedule. So JAA is not presenting today, and due to that, I do expect it to be an earlier day. Uh, or at least that is my hope uh going into the afternoon. Uh we will have a uh break for lunch as well. Uh two housekeeping things also. Um, no surprise woke up, saw in the news that we cut a lot of money yesterday. However, I wanted to go through what we did yesterday. Yesterday, we reviewed 1.5 billion dollars of the budget. From that, we amended 0.86 percent of the budget that was presented to us. So I want to make the point that over 99 percent of the budget that was proposed to us was approved yesterday, and we amended 0.86 percent. So again, just trying to keep that perspective that of all the stuff we did yesterday, all the work, all the different budgets we went through, we the legislative body of the 10th largest city in the country amended 0.86 percent of that. So again, just trying to keep perspective on what actually happened yesterday. Uh one other thing, the only thing we didn't get to yesterday was the Wolfson's request for the additional almost two million dollars. I know there is talk about a noticed meeting potentially. Uh I said it that I am good with that. Uh, Dr. Joshi and some uh representatives from Baptist and others walked me through that. I will be a yes when it comes up to vote for it. But I also understand if you do have questions, uh try to get them answered. Dr. Joshi did all uh volunteer that he could present what he walked me through a few weeks ago uh at a budget meeting. That may be easier than trying to get a notice meeting.

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