City Administrator Cynthia McNabb told the Duval City Council on Aug. 19 that the meeting was “the beginning conversation on HB 2015, which is the Public Safety Sales Tax, as well as the Criminal Justice Training Commission grant.” McNabb said the measure would allow a local option 0.1% sales-and-use tax and open eligibility for a separate CJTC grant pool reserved for jurisdictions that implement that tax.

Why it matters: HB 2015 links a new local sales tax option with a competitive state grant that, if awarded, could defray hiring and training costs for public safety programs. Council members and staff discussed timing, local revenue potential, program eligibility and a state restriction affecting reserve officers — items that could affect whether the city adopts the tax and applies for the grant.

Details of the program and local estimate
McNabb described two linked elements: a 0.1% local public safety sales tax option and a three‑year CJTC grant program funded at $100 million statewide. She summarized grant uses as “hiring, retraining, training new police officers, and co‑responders,” and noted grants may be prioritized for applications that include mental‑health co‑response services. McNabb said grant awards can cover up to 75% of salary and benefits for new hires for up to three years and that lateral hires are ineligible for grant funding.

McNabb provided a local revenue estimate based on Duval’s sales tax history: “The potential revenue for the sales tax for Duval is between $200,000 and $250,000,” she said, noting that estimate was drawn from five years of sales tax receipts and the city’s Transportation Benefit District experience.

Timing and procedural requirements
McNabb told the council the legislature allows cities to adopt the tax by council action (not a ballot measure) through June 30, 2028, but that the Department of Revenue requires 75 days’ notice of an adopted ordinance before collection can begin. She summarized: jurisdictions must implement the HB 2015 sales tax before applying for the CJTC grant and must meet CJTC eligibility and reporting requirements to receive funds.

Reserve officers and other eligibility limits
A central concern voiced repeatedly in the discussion was a state restriction on armed reserve officers. McNabb said jurisdictions that rely on reserve officers carrying weapons for core policing would not meet CJTC eligibility: “You can't have reserve officers. You can have volunteers to help with activities in the police department, but you cannot have a reserve officer that carries webbing,” she said. Duval’s police chief confirmed the law imposes stringent limits on volunteer/reserve roles and that the city’s long‑serving reserve program would require changes to align with HB 2015 criteria. Council members asked about lobbying or legislative amendments to grandfather existing reserves; staff said that would be a policy/lobbying follow‑up rather than part of an initial ordinance.

Council direction, not a vote
Council voiced general support for developing draft ordinance language. McNabb asked whether council wanted staff to prepare proposed language; several members indicated assent and McNabb said she would draft proposed language for the next meeting. No formal ordinance vote or adoption was taken at the Aug. 19 meeting.

Outstanding questions and next steps
McNabb and the police chief noted several open items: CJTC is still finalizing application and program administration details; CJTC had recently hired a program administrator and had not posted the final application on its website. Council members requested more detail on how county‑level implementations and prior county statutes interact with HB 2015, on possible impacts to existing county distributions, and on options for seeking legislative relief or grandfathering for local reserve officers. Staff said they had already submitted an interest form to CJTC and would prepare draft ordinance language and return with more detail on eligibility, timeline and financial modeling.

What the city did and did not decide
At the meeting the council directed staff to prepare draft ordinance language and to pursue further information; council did not adopt or commit to any final tax or grant application and took no binding vote to implement the sales tax. The timeline in state law and CJTC rules — including the 75‑day Department of Revenue notice requirement — means a city ordinance would need to be finalized months before any intended collection date.

Looking ahead: staff indicated they will circulate draft language and additional analysis at a subsequent meeting, and council members asked staff to consult the city’s lobbyists about possible legislative changes concerning reserve officers.