CRA reviews FY2025 preliminary budget and five‑year CIP; formal adoption set for July 28

The Jacksonville Beach Community Redevelopment Agency reviewed its preliminary fiscal year 2025 budget and a five‑year capital improvement plan during a June meeting, with staff saying the downtown and South End trust funds are in a strong cash position and the board set a formal adoption date for July 28.

The review matters because the CRA’s downtown and South End trust funds fund public projects through TIF revenues and cash-on-hand; staff said the next three to four years of South End work and much of the downtown program are funded without issuing new debt. "Instead of relying on debt to fund these projects, we are now a lot in a position to do pay as you go," said Ashley Gossett, chief financial officer, describing the agency's cash position and compliance with state statutes on trust fund balances.

Staff described the assumptions behind the preliminary numbers: the millage rate for Jacksonville Beach was modeled to remain at 3.9947 mils, the county millage to remain near last year’s level (about 8.02 mils), and the CRA will continue a 50% return of the South End TIF debt funding that the agency has budgeted since 2020. On the expense side, Gossett said higher pension contributions for police and general employees and a projected rise in health insurance were built into personnel costs; she also noted industry changes in information technology contracting that move some costs from capital outlay to annual operating fees for software and licenses.

Taylor (CRA staff) and Gossett clarified how the five‑year capital improvement plan operates: the budget for a single fiscal year is adopted annually, but dollars in CRA trust funds that are unspent at year end must be assigned to specific CRA plan projects. Gossett explained that multiyear projects will retain assigned dollars until the project closes out and that remaining funds are then reassigned to future projects. Board members asked about a seeming discrepancy between audit totals and the line‑item personal services numbers; Gossett said audit figures roll several funds together (including the CAPE program) and that vacancies and reporting format differences explain the gap.

Staff also noted where specific items sit in the budget: capital outlay policy treats equipment costing $5,000 or more as capital, but subscription‑style software and some license fees (for example, for license plate readers) are budgeted in repairs and maintenance rather than capital outlay. Jim Gilmore, a consultant to the CRA, informed the board that at the Jacksonville City Council meeting the night before the council had approved a $1,000,000 appropriation from the City of Jacksonville general fund for a complete renovation of the Jacksonville Beach lifeguard station; Gilmore said details of how that appropriation will be managed and whether the City or Jax Beach will administer the project remain to be worked out.

No formal action was taken at the meeting; Taylor told the board, "So if anybody does have any additional questions, please get them to Taylor, and we can get them answered," and staff said the CRA will return on July 28 for formal adoption and to align with upcoming council budget workshops. Gossett cautioned the numbers may move slightly before formal adoption as payroll, health insurance and liability insurance estimates are finalized.

The board did not vote on the budget at this meeting; staff listed steps and dependencies for final adoption and said they will bring updated numbers back to the board for a July decision.