OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Jacksonville Finance Committee Meeting - August 19, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, August 19, 2026
BodyJacksonville, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, August 19, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 41:30
Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Good afternoon, everyone.

0:02

We'll go ahead and get started with the Wednesday, August 19th meeting of the Finance Committee.

0:07

Introduction starting to my left.

0:08

Brittany Norris for the administration.

0:10

Colleen Hamsey, Council of Research.

0:12

Mary Stefopoulos, Office of General Counsel.

0:14

Heather Reber, Council Auditor's Office.

0:17

Philip Peterson, Council Auditor.

0:19

Good afternoon, Chris Miller at large group five.

0:22

Will Lane in District Three.

0:26

Terrence Freeman at large group one.

0:28

Mike Gay, District Two.

0:30

Randy White, District 12.

0:32

All right, good afternoon, everyone.

0:34

Councilmember Freeman, as a reminder, you now only have one excusal remaining for the entire council year.

0:39

So just want to make sure you are aware of that.

0:43

So looking at the agenda for today, the first order of business, we're gonna have uh Dustin Freeman uh present his uh quarterly single source presentation.

0:51

Uh then we have a couple folks here.

0:52

I believe we have two folks here for CPAC presentations uh that we'll talk through.

0:57

Then Mr.

0:57

Peterson is going to go over his quarterly summary for the nine months into June 30th, 2026, then public comment, and then we'll get into the agenda.

1:07

Uh so with that, I'll have uh Mr.

1:10

Freeman, the chief of our procurement division, come up here.

1:12

I'll note that he has passed around his report.

1:15

Uh Mr.

1:15

Freeman.

1:17

Uh good afternoon, Dustin Freeman, Chief of Procurement.

1:21

Um Mr.

1:22

Chair, committee members, the report in front of you is the third quarter single source report for FY26.

1:28

Uh, this report reflects all the single source purchases over $50,000, and the using agency's justification for each are attached.

1:38

In Q3, there was a total of 17 single source purchase orders totaling a little over 2.4 million and five purchase order agreements totaling a little over 1.3 million.

1:50

There were six purchase orders that I would consider unique, which is outside of the normal maintenance and warranty agreements.

1:58

Item one, or excuse me, item two, natural and marine resources, a little over 62,000.

2:05

Item three from KHA, Office of the Director, 60,000.

2:10

Item four, animal care and protective services, three hundred thousand.

2:16

Item six, sports and entertainment, a little over fifty-eight thousand.

2:21

Item 11, sports and entertainment, a little over 62,000.

2:26

And the last is item 17 from Homeland Security, a little over 303,000.

2:31

Uh, this concludes my report.

2:33

Happy to answer any questions related to procurement uh regards to single sources.

2:37

However, we'll defer to the use and agencies if you have specific questions on the technical aspects of the scope.

2:44

Thank you, Mr.

2:45

Freeman.

2:46

Uh colleagues, I don't see anyone in the queue.

2:48

So with that, we'll move on and uh thank you, Mr.

2:51

Freeman, and what your team does for the city.

2:53

Uh CPAC presentations.

2:55

Uh so I see Mr.

2:57

Barr out there from CPAC 6, I believe.

2:59

Do we have any other CPAC representatives in the audience?

3:02

Okay.

3:02

Uh I'm gonna go with uh Mr.

3:04

Barr first, and then uh we'll go with you, ma'am.

3:06

Which which CPAC are you from?

3:08

Northwest.

3:08

Northwest, got it.

3:10

Uh Mr.

3:11

Barr, we will give you 20 minutes based on our conversation.

3:14

I do not think you will near uh need more than two minutes, but you got it if you want it.

3:18

Good afternoon, good afternoon, councilman.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget███████████████████████████27%
Procedural████████████████████████24%
Community Engagement█████████████████17%
Public Comment██████6%
Council Modernization██████6%
Parks and Recreation█████5%
Zoning And Land Use█████5%
Public Transportation████4%
Infrastructure████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Jacksonville Finance Committee Meeting - August 19, 2026

The Finance Committee of the Jacksonville City Council met on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 1:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting covered quarterly financial reports, CPAC presentations, public comments, and action on several ordinances. Due to a lack of quorum, the meeting started late. Chair Will Lahnen presided.

CPAC Presentations

  • Charles Barr, Chair of CPAC 6, requested funding for renovations at Ray Green Park, including a community center. He noted the park is one of the oldest and largest on the north side and lacks indoor facilities for youth. He submitted a letter from February 25, 2026, and asked that the request be considered in the budget or CIP. Chair Lahnen directed the Council Auditor to review the request.
  • Rhonda Yvette Boyd, Chair of the Northwest CPAC, expressed concerns about lack of notification to communities about upcoming developments. She specifically mentioned a proposed development of 40–60 homes near US 1 and New Kings Road (Richardson Road area) that neighbors oppose due to traffic and density concerns. She asked for better community notification and financial assistance for the north side.
  • Vanessa Collins Hopkins, Vice Chair of the Northwest CPAC, urged a change in the process so that developers meet with communities before appearing before LUZ or the Planning Commission. She suggested that additional funding be allocated to the Neighborhoods Department and Planning Department to coordinate such meetings. She noted that this proposal is not currently in the mayor’s budget.

Quarterly Single Source Report

  • Dustin Freeman, Chief of Procurement, presented the third quarter single source report for FY26. Total purchases over $50,000 were 17 purchase orders ($2.4 million) and 5 purchase order agreements ($1.3 million). Six orders were considered unique, including items for natural and marine resources ($62,000), KHA ($60,000), animal care ($300,000), sports and entertainment (two orders totaling $120,000), and Homeland Security ($303,000).

Quarterly Summary Report (Nine Months Ended June 30, 2026)

  • Council Auditor Phillip Peterson presented Report #908. The general fund is projected to have a favorable budget variance of $29.1 million for the year (down from $30.4 million at Q2). Revenues are outperforming budget by $1.4 million, driven by ad valorem taxes ($5.3 million higher due to higher taxable values) and utility service tax/franchise fees (linked to JEA sales). Expenditures are under budget by $27.7 million, primarily from personnel savings ($12.5 million), JSO debt management repayments ($5.5 million), and a solid waste loan recapture ($6.5 million).
  • Eleven general fund departments are projected to end with negative balances; five have reasons beyond the 2% lapse. The Sheriff’s Office is favorable by $15.4 million (offset by $2.2 million revenue shortfall). Fire and Rescue shows a negative variance of $2 million due to pension transition costs. State Attorney, Public Defender, OGC, and Mayor’s Office also have negative variances.
  • Three funds are at risk of negative cash at year-end: Special Events Fund, Motor Vehicle Inspection Fund, and OGC’s main fund.
  • Independent authorities: JEA positive variance of $119.3 million (mostly due to less transferred to capital). JTA unfavorable variance of $31.8 million ($17.4M revenue shortfall, $14.4M exceeding budget). JPA favorable $8.5 million. JAA surplus $64.4 million (including $19M insurance proceeds for garage fire).
  • Chair Lahnen noted concern over JTA’s quarter-to-quarter deterioration (from $2M to $31.8M unfavorable) and indicated questions would be asked at the Friday budget hearing.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dr. Vanessa Collins Hopkins (also spoke during CPAC) returned to public comment to express general support for the mayor’s proposed budget and specifically highlighted the need for road resurfacing (referencing 2026-0505) and sidewalk improvements in the capital improvement plan.

Discussion Items

  • Councilmember Johnson questioned the process for handling unfavorable variances in departments like the Property Appraiser’s office (separate fund, requiring legislation). He also asked about the flexibility of funds in item 2026-0572 (completion grants contingency). Council Auditor Peterson clarified that those funds are set aside for completion grants but can be redirected by a two-thirds vote.
  • Item 2026-0584 (demolition of Sax Seafood building at 816 W. Union St): DIA representative Wade McArthur explained the property will be demolished and combined with adjacent parcels for future redevelopment, consistent with the 2019 LaVilla study. Councilmember Johnson asked about future plans and expressed support.
  • Quorum and excusal policy: Chair Lahnen reminded members that quorum is now five (per Councilmember Boylan’s rule) and that members must notify him in advance of excusals. Councilmember Freeman apologized for lateness. Councilmember Johnson indicated he may propose changes to the rule, noting the part-time nature of the council and the need for flexibility.

Key Outcomes

  • Item 2026-0578 (Trinity Rescue Mission funding): Approved with amendment (6-0).
  • Item 2026-0643 (Unity Classic sponsorship): Withdrawn on motion of CM Peluso (6-0).
  • Item 2026-0318 (code enforcement filing fees): Withdrawn (6-0).
  • Item 2026-0569 (rescheduling meetings): Passed (6-0).
  • Item 2026-0572 (completion grant contingency): Approved with amendment (6-0).
  • Item 2026-0573 (MOU with Atlantic Beach for disaster debris): Passed (6-0).
  • Item 2026-0574 (Stand for Service Act – REV grant amendments): Passed (6-0).
  • Item 2026-0575 (Operation New Uniform grant): Passed with co-sponsor additions (6-0).
  • Item 2026-0579 (Made a Way Foundation forgiveness): Passed (6-0).
  • Item 2026-0583 (Northbank CRA cleanup): Approved with amendment (6-0).
  • Item 2026-0584 (demolition of Sax Seafood building): Passed (6-0).
  • Item 2026-0585 (Shipyards RDA amendment): Approved with amendment (6-0).
  • Item 2026-0587 (Chaffee Rd condemnation): Approved with amendment (6-0).
  • Item 2026-0588 (8000 Arlington Exwy REV grant): Deferred at request of developer.
  • All other items (2024-0966, 2025-0361, 2025-0775, 2026-0227, 2026-0320, 2026-0377, 2026-0501, 2026-0502, 2026-0503, 2026-0504, 2026-0505, 2026-0506, 2026-0509, 2026-0510, 2026-0511, 2026-0512, 2026-0513, 2026-0514, 2026-0541) were deferred per requests. Items on second reading (2026-0624 through 2026-0645 except withdrawn item) were noted as on second reading with no further action.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon, everyone. We'll go ahead and get started with the Wednesday, August 19th meeting of the Finance Committee. Introduction starting to my left. Brittany Norris for the administration. Colleen Hamsey, Council of Research. Mary Stefopoulos, Office of General Counsel. Heather Reber, Council Auditor's Office. Philip Peterson, Council Auditor. Good afternoon, Chris Miller at large group five. Will Lane in District Three. Terrence Freeman at large group one. Mike Gay, District Two. Randy White, District 12. All right, good afternoon, everyone. Councilmember Freeman, as a reminder, you now only have one excusal remaining for the entire council year. So just want to make sure you are aware of that. So looking at the agenda for today, the first order of business, we're gonna have uh Dustin Freeman uh present his uh quarterly single source presentation. Uh then we have a couple folks here. I believe we have two folks here for CPAC presentations uh that we'll talk through. Then Mr. Peterson is going to go over his quarterly summary for the nine months into June 30th, 2026, then public comment, and then we'll get into the agenda. Uh so with that, I'll have uh Mr. Freeman, the chief of our procurement division, come up here. I'll note that he has passed around his report. Uh Mr. Freeman. Uh good afternoon, Dustin Freeman, Chief of Procurement. Um Mr. Chair, committee members, the report in front of you is the third quarter single source report for FY26. Uh, this report reflects all the single source purchases over $50,000, and the using agency's justification for each are attached. In Q3, there was a total of 17 single source purchase orders totaling a little over 2.4 million and five purchase order agreements totaling a little over 1.3 million. There were six purchase orders that I would consider unique, which is outside of the normal maintenance and warranty agreements. Item one, or excuse me, item two, natural and marine resources, a little over 62,000. Item three from KHA, Office of the Director, 60,000. Item four, animal care and protective services, three hundred thousand. Item six, sports and entertainment, a little over fifty-eight thousand. Item 11, sports and entertainment, a little over 62,000. And the last is item 17 from Homeland Security, a little over 303,000. Uh, this concludes my report. Happy to answer any questions related to procurement uh regards to single sources. However, we'll defer to the use and agencies if you have specific questions on the technical aspects of the scope. Thank you, Mr. Freeman. Uh colleagues, I don't see anyone in the queue. So with that, we'll move on and uh thank you, Mr. Freeman, and what your team does for the city. Uh CPAC presentations. Uh so I see Mr. Barr out there from CPAC 6, I believe. Do we have any other CPAC representatives in the audience?

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