JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In a groundbreaking and ambitious move, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan introduced a $2 billion budget designed to transform the city’s future. This comprehensive plan addresses various areas, including infrastructure like roads and bridges, as well as essential services such as police, fire rescue, and capital improvement projects, influencing nearly every aspect of urban life.

Among the numerous focal points, Deegan’s budget proposes over $7 million for citywide health initiatives, specifically directing funds to Healthlink Jax and JaxCare Connect.

Additionally, funding would be extended to Volunteers in Medicine Jacksonville. This organization delivers complimentary primary healthcare for employed individuals without insurance. CEO Jennifer Ryan emphasized their mission of reducing the reliance on emergency rooms.

“Just this year, we’re at about 5,700 patient visits. I will spend about $1.7 million for that. If those individuals had to go to the emergency room, it would be over $25 million. So this funding is for prevention, it’s for keeping people healthy, it’s preventing homelessness, it’s preventing people from losing their jobs,” Ryan explained.

Ryan said Volunteers in Medicine would receive $200,000 which will fund their Westside clinic for an entire year. 

Also included in the mayor’s budget proposal is $2 million to add a permanent shade structure to the city’s Veterans Memorial Wall. Harrison Conyers, the Director of Jacksonville’s Military Affairs and Veterans Department, said they are still in the planning stages, but they are looking to build a structure that would cover about 1,500 people and would also have fans inside to help with the heat.

Conyers said the $2 million would only cover part of the project.

“The two million dollars right now is about a third of what we need to build this facility. But if you look at this wall itself, when it was built it was a collaboration of private enterprise, of individuals in the community and the city itself who came together to build a wall. And we like it’s appropriate to build the shade structure also,” Conyers explained.

Conyers said they are looking to raise about $4 million to finish the structure. They will also be setting up a trust where people can make donations to help fund the project.

City Council members are already reacting to the mayor’s budget proposal. Councilman Ron Salem was glad to see the mayor’s budget would not tap into the city’s reserves. He was also interested to see how much cash the city has. He told First Coast News city council will discuss whether they can give any of that money back to residents.

“We’ve got the garbage fee, that $45 million in the budget. There’s $40 million from JEA, so I think we have the opportunity to possibly, as suggested by President Carrico, have a millage decrease and return some dollars to taxpayers,” Salem said.

The finance committee will now go through the budget and there will be three weeks of budget hearings in August. The final budget will then be voted on during city council’s last meeting in September.