Flush with cash, local politicians may demand even more
With property values soaring and many new developments in the queue, it is difficult to see what would justify an increase in the property tax rate in Jacksonville. Insiders on the City Council say there are discussions about increasing property taxes. That would be a slap in the face to local taxpayers who will start […]
The sun has not set on taxing and spending in Jacksonville
One City Council member sees a disturbing pattern in city government of taxing and spending with no end in sight. “I’ve been warning about taxes,” Council Member Al Ferraro told Eye on Jacksonville. The latest in a string of tax increases is a local option boat registration fee. It could pass Tuesday, despite widespread opposition. […]
Like a broken record, it is time to renew downtown again
Grab your wallets. Another plan to “revitalize” downtown is in the works. Taxpayers have been diverting money they need for their families to the city treasury for decades in order to “invest” in the downtown area. The effort began in the late 1940s under Mayor Haydon Burns and, arguably, downtown was a mess – then. […]
Fernandina Beach: Bad budget practices cause money to pile up and politicians scurry to spend it
For years, city officials in Fernandina Beach have allowed reserves in the building department to build dramatically. Rather than refunding the money or lowering the fees charged to builders and developers, they have gone on a spending spree to get rid of the excess. In this year’s presentation on the building department budget, City Commissioners […]
Local media misinformation will not go unchallenged
Because the local media won’t let go of its narrative about the consolidation of the city and county governments in 1968, Eye on Jacksonville will continue to challenge them. The latest to employ the false story is Kent Justice of News4Jax, a liberal local TV station. We sent Justice an email: “You wrote: “The project […]
Low taxes can be a sign of failure, or a source of pride
In their in-depth analysis of the city’s finances, the Jacksonville Civic Council has made a good case that the city enjoys low taxes and spends accordingly. However, the report treats this as a bad thing. If a city can keep up with its needs and still maintain a low level of taxation, most property owners […]
With gasoline prices rising, city officials want to bump gas taxes
“No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth!” — Ronald Reagan President Ronald Reagan’s famous, and accurate, comment about federal government programs applies equally well to local government, and to taxes. For […]
You picked a fine time to raise taxes, Mayor Curry
As the Democrats in the House of Representatives in DC clapped for joy at the passing of the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, Mayor Curry was campaigning his way through the City Council and other people of importance about increasing the gas tax by 6 cents a gallon. So the Dems are clapping as they […]
Spending plan has a wealth of information
City budgets contain a lot of information useful to the taxpayer. You can see where the money comes from and where it goes, in detail. You also can determine the total cost of local government, which today is somewhere north of $6 billion. Because local reporters have been well-trained by politicians and bureaucrats they invariably […]
Telling the truth in the media would be refreshing
Once again, the local media is publishing dubious claims about “neglected” residents of the city. The so-called “I-team” at News4Jax said, “Residents of the Christobel neighborhood learned this week that the city doesn’t have enough money to convert their septic tanks into city sewer systems after promising them the service in the late 1960s.” But the story failed to […]