As part of a local effort modeled on the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, Jacksonville City Council members are seeking answers as to whether funding for up to $90 million in capital improvement projects can be removed from the city budget or reallocated.
In an April 1 meeting of the Council’s Duval DOGE committee, Council auditors presented a report listing 66 projects for which there has been no spending since October 2023.
Auditors told committee members that they are seeking explanations from the city administration about why the projects remain on the budget, with possible reasons being that the projects have stalled, need more funding or were completed and have not been erased from the budget, among others.
“We should get updates on all those projects and know what the status is of those and whether those dollars can be reallocated,” said Council member Ron Salem, who chairs the committee. “Those projects have not been touched in at least 18 months, so it makes you wonder why the money’s there and can we better use it somewhere else.”
Projects identified by the auditors include park improvements, new sidewalks, infrastructure such as stormwater ponds, aquatic centers and crosswalk murals.
The costliest items on the list include a $15 million Northbank Riverwalk extension, $8 million in enhancements for Lonnie Miller Regional Park and $5.49 million for design of a master plan for that park, and $4.49 million to restore two-way traffic to Julia Street in Downtown.
“The question is, is the project completed, and why is the money sitting there?” Salem said.
“Is that money still needed, and is there a reason it has not been spent yet? Those are the questions we need to be asking. I’m not suggesting all $90 million are dollars we can reallocate, but if we got 10% of them, that’s $9 million to $10 million.”
Council Auditor Kim Taylor said the report included only items with costs above $100,000. She said her office found more than 200 total projects that are budgeted but have been inactive since Oct. 1, 2023.
The projects have been on the budget since as long ago as 2008, she said.
In addition, auditors found $10.9 million of projects that are listed on a city transparency website as being completed but have not been closed out on the budget. They include four fire stations for which some inspections or final transactions have yet to be completed, and 18 parks or Public Works projects for which the auditors are awaiting explanations.
The committee is seeking information on each project.
“I said from the very beginning this would be surgical. We’re not looking to whack departments or anything close to that,” Salem said. “We’re looking at savings such as the CIP, where dollars appear to be sitting there and can be used in other places.
Committee member Joe Carlucci said he had asked about the status of various projects and learned that there are generally viable reasons they remain on budgets despite appearing inactive.
“But nonetheless it’s $90 million, so even if we get 10% we’re looking pretty good,” he said.
In addition to projects in the city’s Capital Improvement Plan, auditors also examined growth in city departments relative to inflation and population growth since 2017. A report listed 13 departments as expanding beyond the growth rate based on inflation and population, which auditors listed at 5.4%.
Salem said he envisioned the Council Finance Committee, as opposed to the DOGE panel, examining department growth during upcoming budget meetings.
The meeting was the third related to the committee, which was appointed by Council President Randy White through the end of his time as president in June. The presumptive next Council president, Kevin Carrico, would need to extend the committee for its work to continue in July and beyond.
“I think we’re going to see a paradigm change in the way we handle things around here, as those departments are now scrambling to determine what those dollars are there for,” Salem said.
“I think a process like this should be done periodically. Whether it’s every year or every three years, I think it’s needed to kind of wake things up.”