The Jacksonville City Council’s Finance Committee did most of Monday night’s major work at the final meeting of the month for the council in the month of November.
The committee agreed to a 3% increase to the city’s tax levy. Committee Chair and Ward 5 Alderman Don Cook says the increase is in line with last year’s 3% levy increase. The increase is to keep up with rising operational costs, salary increases, and the increase in pension payments.
The major conversations centered around 3 monetary requests from entities in need of the city’s assistance. The Jacksonville Area Food Bank and the Jacksonville Salvation Army were seeking major assistance to keep funding for the area’s food pantries. Committee Chair Cook said that the city was in no position to make any long-term annual obligations to either group at this time due to budget constraints. The committee came to a consensus to recommend a $10,000 “holiday” contribution to get both through until the end of the year while the city works through its annual budget.
Some of the remaining consensus on the committee was to set up a list of regulations on who and for how much organizations can request from the city each year. Another requirement that gained some traction was setting an annual deadline to place requests that can be budgeted for by the city. Both requests are being paid out of the city’s municipal cannabis tax fund.
Mayor Andy Ezard hopes that the one-time donation can sustain both entities while the city council works through the budget: “Hopefully that $10,000 will help them towards that goal, and kind of see where the city is at budget-wise. We are currently working on the budget. We are going to end up passing the budget in January or February, like we usually do. We’ll kind of get a better idea on how we can better fill their needs and also keep within our measures as well. Lots more to come. I think the council is taking it one day at a time, one step at a time, so to speak. I think they want to build a consensus in the community, as they usually do. They want to hear from their constituents on what happens, and we’ll see how it goes in the future.”
The third request from members of the Jacksonville Area Museum Board is also currently in a “wait and see” position. Earlier this month, David Blanchette and Alan Worrell presented to the board the fact that the Jacksonville Area Historical Society is nearing the end of funding for the insurance and utilities for the Old Post Office Building which houses the museum. The request was two fold in that the museum asked the city to take over ownership of the building, and due to the fact that the museum is getting ready to expand its exhibit, they also requested the city create a city-funded full time museum manager position.
Committee Chair Don Cook told Blanchette and Worrell Monday night that due to the city wanting more information and budget concerns, he didn’t feel like he could recommend the city taking over long-term ownership of the building, as the Historical Society no longer wishes to own the building. The general consensus was that information was needed before a final recommendation could be made to the council.
Mayor Ezard agreed with Committee Chairman Cook about the requests being a “different animal” from the area food banks and the recently granted request for the Festival of Lights because he says museum is a city-run entity: “I know the council wanted to get more information on the museum as far as the structure and condition of the building and the roof. That will all be provided. I think the council views this as a real separate ask.”
Blanchette reminded the committee members that the Old Post Office building was granted a building permit by the city, was inspected top to bottom by the oft-employed by the city engineers of Benton & Associates prior to their Phase II renovations that were recently completed, and the fact that the building was once a certified bomb shelter and is likely one of the safest buildings in the event of inclement weather in the city. Blanchette did say that he would pass along the inspection reports, as well as updated information on utilities. He reported that the new HVAC system recently was commissioned after the most recent bout of cold weather, and that the building’s renovations had employed a number of efficiency measures to cut costs.
Blanchette and Worrell also explained that their secondary plans are to dip into their own budget for displays and exhibits if they city decides not to take ownership of the building, pay for utilities and insurance, and take up any of the outdoor maintenance (i.e. lawn maintenance and snow removal). Blanchette says that any investment the city would make would likely be paid back as the museum has had a track record of success of bringing in visitors. By taking away from their exhibit budget, it would likely make the Phase II Expansion more of a slower growth rather than the expected major attraction, according to Blanchette’s presented figures.
The museum’s request is expected to be taken up at meetings next month.
The city council also approved a 3% increase in water/sewer rates for the upcoming year Monday night as the final financial request of the evening.