As with the rest of the Country, we here in Jacksonville are plagued with all sorts of budgetary concerns for all levels of our City government. There's currently a petition being signed to continue funding for the Sulzbacher Center, Mayor John Peyton's attempt to balance the budget was thwarted yesterday, and the City's Special Events crew is struggling to keep some of the fun stuff in town. We're gonna focus on that for now. As you may already know, the special events currently offered by the city may be in jeopardy if the millage rate is not increased by approximately 1.2 mils. Many residents and businesses are involved in or benefit from these events such as the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, World of Nations Celebration, Jacksonville Light Parade, Jacksonville Sea and Sky Spectacular, Sail Jacksonville, Florida-Georgia Football Classic, Senior events, Fireworks shows, and many more. These events are vital to our community, its ability to thrive, and to be seen as an ideal destination for visitors. In addition, the economic impact of events produced by the City of Jacksonville is approximately 200 million annually. The venue change of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival this year brought more than 50,000 people to the downtown core. Music lovers, educators, musicians, artists and families celebrated in the streets, filled hotel rooms and dined in area restaurants and bars. During the July 4th celebration, the most recent event produced by the City of Jacksonville, more than 200,000 people celebrated downtown and benefited from the free trolley service to take them to their downtown destinations. We need to speak up and represent a united front in support of events in Jacksonville. We urge you to e-mail or call City Council and the local media and tell them why you want to keep events in Jacksonville. We all must join in the continued goal of making our city the place to be. Visit Fix It Now! for complete information, including a link to the JCCI study that details our financial crisis and what is at stake.
1 comment:
1.2% is a 12% increase in property taxes. While the housing market was on fire, the city government was a rubber stamp for any and all spending. They spent at a unsustainable rate and now are forced to increase (dramatically) taxes in order to maintain. The city needs to learn to live within it's means as we all have to and to ask for a 12% property tax increase while the housing market is trash is retarded. I can't imagine asking my boss for a 12% increase in pay right now, it is a slap in the face for the government to ask me for more money.
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