{"id":251833,"date":"2025-09-24T19:44:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T19:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/251833\/"},"modified":"2025-09-24T19:44:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T19:44:10","slug":"jacksonville-city-council-passes-2b-budget-after-13-hour-deadlock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/251833\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville City Council passes $2B budget after 13-hour deadlock"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kNAFkD cuqaEv article-text\"><strong>JACKSONVILLE, Fla. <\/strong> \u2013 It took nearly 14 hours, tense back and forth, and one dramatic vote switch to get it done, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2025\/09\/24\/jacksonville-city-council-passes-2b-budget-after-nearly-14-hours-of-intense-debate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2025\/09\/24\/jacksonville-city-council-passes-2b-budget-after-nearly-14-hours-of-intense-debate\/\">but Jacksonville\u2019s $2 billion city budget has officially passed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The turning point came just before 4 a.m. Wednesday, when District 3 Councilman Will Lahnen flipped his vote, breaking a tense deadlock that had held up the process for hours.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kNAFkD cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWe had to have progress,\u201d Lahnen told News4JAX early Wednesday morning. \u201cIt was clear we weren\u2019t going to be able to get it across the finish line and have a full vote. After hours, it was clear there was no line in sight on getting a 10th vote.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">That progress didn\u2019t come easy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kNAFkD cuqaEv article-text\">The holdup centered around a controversial batch of amendments proposed by Councilman Rory Diamond that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2025\/08\/22\/jacksonville-finance-committee-approves-rory-diamonds-big-beautiful-budget-amendments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2025\/08\/22\/jacksonville-finance-committee-approves-rory-diamonds-big-beautiful-budget-amendments\/\">he dubbed the \u201cBig, Beautiful Budget Amendments.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Diamond\u2019s proposal would have banned any future city funding for:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Services for undocumented immigrants<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) programs<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Abortion-related care<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Although those items weren\u2019t part of this year\u2019s budget, Diamond said he wanted to ensure they wouldn\u2019t be added in the future.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The amendments initially passed with a 10-9 vote, but the council members who were against them refused to pass the full budget as long as those amendments were attached, forcing a contentious stalemate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Lahnen, who had supported the amendments earlier in the evening, said he ultimately chose to reverse course so the full budget vote could move forward.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cI supported you, not just on this but on ACPS, and I\u2019m proud of the growing number of 17\u20132 votes against downtown cash incentives,\u201d Lahnen said, addressing Diamond during the meeting. \u201cHowever, we have to pass this budget, so I will be voting no on the Diamond amendment the next time it comes up. Again, I am doing this so we can pass our budget tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">That decision made the difference.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cI voted on the amendments multiple times up to this point, but at some point, we had to clear the logjam,\u201d Lahnen said, \u201cI mean, one of our biggest jobs is to pass the budget for the city, and it took a while tonight, but we did pass it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The final budget passed 15-2. Lahnen\u2019s colleagues \u2014 even some who had disagreed with him earlier in the night \u2014 praised the move.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Councilman Matt Carlucci called it an act of leadership.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kNAFkD cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cHis statesmanship and personal sacrifice on a key vote brought the council together and helped us defeat a harmful, divisive amendment,\u201d Carlucci wrote in a statement to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WJXT4BrianaBrownlee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WJXT4BrianaBrownlee\/\">News4JAX reporter Briana Brownlee<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s what real leadership looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Tax cut narrowly passes<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The budget wasn\u2019t the only major decision of the night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kNAFkD cuqaEv article-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2025\/09\/23\/city-council-braces-for-potentially-razor-thin-vote-as-it-considers-2b-budget-that-could-reshape-jacksonvilles-future\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2025\/09\/23\/city-council-braces-for-potentially-razor-thin-vote-as-it-considers-2b-budget-that-could-reshape-jacksonvilles-future\/\">In a narrow 10\u20139 vote, the City Council also approved a $13 million property tax cut<\/a>. For homeowners, that translates to about $1 in savings for every $1,000 of a home\u2019s assessed value.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kNAFkD cuqaEv article-text\">While some hailed the move as overdue, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2025\/09\/24\/mayor-deegan-disappointed-by-millage-rate-vote-but-grateful-city-council-passed-2b-budget\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2025\/09\/24\/mayor-deegan-disappointed-by-millage-rate-vote-but-grateful-city-council-passed-2b-budget\/\">others \u2014 including Mayor Donna Deegan \u2014 expressed concern.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kNAFkD cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWhile I\u2019m disappointed by the millage rate vote, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2025\/09\/22\/jacksonville-groups-prepare-residents-to-speak-up-at-city-councils-vote-on-nearly-2b-budget\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2025\/09\/22\/jacksonville-groups-prepare-residents-to-speak-up-at-city-councils-vote-on-nearly-2b-budget\/\">especially given the strong sentiments from the public<\/a>, the City Council has fulfilled its primary responsibility to pass a budget,\u201d Deegan said in a statement sent to News4JAX.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The tax cut was heavily pushed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) \u2014 a newly created state agency backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">DOGE claims Jacksonville taxpayers have been overcharged by more than $200 million over the past five years, an assertion that Deegan has refuted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Critics warn the cuts could impact essential city services \u2014 including police, fire, and rescue \u2014 all of which are funded through property taxes.<\/p>\n<p><b>What\u2019s next?<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">With the budget now approved, city operations and funding for services will continue as scheduled. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">However, the lengthy debate highlighted ongoing disagreements among council members \u2014 both over fiscal priorities and how policy decisions are shaped at the local level.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 It took nearly 14 hours, tense back and forth, and one dramatic vote switch to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":251834,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5136],"tags":[5229,133261,3232,5310,10083,3188,723,7310,14633,12013,9423,10177,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-251833","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-big-beautiful-budget-bill","10":"tag-budget","11":"tag-city-council","12":"tag-donna-deegan","13":"tag-fl","14":"tag-florida","15":"tag-jacksonville","16":"tag-matt-carlucci","17":"tag-morning-show","18":"tag-property-taxes","19":"tag-rory-diamond","20":"tag-united-states","21":"tag-united-states-of-america","22":"tag-unitedstates","23":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","24":"tag-us","25":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}