JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — $1.5 billion, that's the size of the budget that Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry is proposing for the city of Jacksonville.
The mayor presented his budget to city council Thursday morning, which will fund services like the police, firefighters, infrastructure and the library. The mayor says he also hopes to save homeowners some money.
"Jacksonville is a city on the rise," said Curry. "And if we keep doing the work, the best is yet to come."
Curry's budget address sounded like a victory speech at times.
"Since July 2015 we've reduced our outstanding debt by more than $560 million," said Curry.
The biggest chunk of the budget will go towards the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Curry proposed an additional $37 million to JSO to bring the total allocated to JSO to $540 million.
But no moment received a larger ovation than when the mayor said, "I believe it's time for the first property tax cut since 2007."
After his speech, Curry explained his decision to lower the millage rate on property taxes by an eighth of a percent.
"We are financially sound right now," said Curry. "This was a responsible tax cut that will also allow us to increase our reserves."
And for a second year in a row, Curry said the Capital Improvement Project fund stands at $500 million, which is more than 20-times larger than when he took office.
"Eight years ago we weren't resurfacing roads, we weren't taking care of infrastructure, we weren't focused on resiliency and flooding and parks and children's programs," said Curry.
While Curry promised tens of millions of dollars to various projects, he also made a point to say that the city continues to set money aside in savings.
According to the mayor, the city's reserve funds have grown from $130 million to nearly $350 million since 2015.