Mayor John Peyton announced today that he will propose a budget for the upcoming fiscal year that includes one of the largest public safety investments in Jacksonville's history and does so without raising taxes.

"Improving public safety and taking back our town is the most immediate challenge facing our city," said Peyton. "We are at a watershed moment in Jacksonville's history, and failure to invest in efforts to help turn the tide of crime will have a long-term, devastating impact on this city. Thanks to the hard work of the members of The Jacksonville Journey committees, we have a roadmap for our community to follow as we work to ensure the safety of our neighborhoods and our people.

"Now that the hard work of the five Journey committees is largely completed, the biggest challenge we face is how to fund these critical programs, especially in light of state-imposed revenue cuts and an economy that is challenging individuals and families throughout Duval County.

"Ultimately, I've made the decision to do what every family and business in this community is doing – tighten our belt, prioritize spending and work to get as much value as possible for every cent in order to fund this public safety investment without raising taxes," he added.

While the full budget will be presented to the Jacksonville City Council on July 14, the mayor said that funding for the public safety initiative was found within the current budget through expense reductions and innovations. 

Peyton also indicated that while he supports all of the recommendations put forth by The Jacksonville Journey committees, he has asked the Steering Committee to focus its final recommendations on those items that should be the responsibility of local government. In that regard, he outlined his priorities for public safety funding as:
·        Increasing the number of police officers in neighborhoods 
·        Keeping youth busy and off the streets in after-school facilities, summer programs, and, where appropriate, suspension centers
·        Providing ex-offenders with opportunities to become contributing members of society rather than returning to a life of crime

The mayor has asked Tom Petway, as chair of The Jacksonville Journey's Funding Committee, to work with city staff to reconcile the complete list of subcommittee recommendations.

The final Jacksonville Journey Steering Committee meeting will be held on Thursday, June 26, at 1 p.m. in the multi-purpose room at the Main Library. The mayor will present the budget to the Jacksonville City Council at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 14.