Council trims maximum PSG award to $125,000 after late amendment; some members abstain

The Jacksonville City Council voted to approve revisions to the city’s Public Service Grant (PSG) ordinance, including a floor amendment that reduced the maximum award per category from $150,000 to $125,000. The final motion—recorded in the meeting transcript as item 20 25 1 91 with the Miller floor amendment attached—passed on third reading with a recorded vote of 13 yeas, 2 nays and 1 abstention. Councilmember Pittman announced an abstention because of her role as CEO of a nonprofit that receives PSG funds.

Background and debate: The PSG council (the citizen advisory body that scores and recommends grants) had proposed changes to address distribution and the number of awards. The Miller floor amendment that the council adopted removed an earlier proposed limit that would have capped organizations at one award total and instead left the structure as one award per category while lowering the per‑category cap from $150,000 to $125,000.

Supporters said the lower cap would allow additional high‑scoring nonprofits to receive funding under this cycle’s available budget. Council members and PSG council representatives cited scoring data showing several high‑scoring organizations fell below the cut line in the last cycle; lowering the cap would ‘‘buy down’’ larger awards and extend funding to more groups. One councilmember noted the change could have allowed nine additional nonprofits to receive awards under the same scoring results as the prior year.

Opponents and concerns: Other council members and nonprofit leaders warned that dropping the cap at the last minute risks reducing proven programs’ capacity and effectiveness; several speakers and council members urged caution about making late, arbitrary numerical changes before the budget cycle. Multiple public commenters representing nonprofits asked the council not to reduce awards and recommended other routes—such as increasing the PSG pool in the annual budget—if the goal is broader distribution.

Vote and outcome: The final recorded vote on the ordinance with the Miller amendment was 13 yeas, 2 nays and 1 abstention (Councilwoman Pittman). The ordinance as amended lowers the maximum award from $150,000 to $125,000 and preserves an allowance for one award per category (rather than one award total per grantee). The PSG council will implement the rule for the current award cycle and will consider other recommended changes separately.

Why it matters: PSG funding supports human services and nonprofit delivery of critical services for vulnerable residents. The council’s change reallocates a limited local resource and will affect how many nonprofits receive city-funded PSG grants this cycle. Several nonprofit leaders at the meeting warned that even modest reductions in award size can reduce services to vulnerable clients; supporters said the change expands the number of organizations getting some funding.

What’s next: The PSG council and city staff are responsible for applying the revised cap to the upcoming award cycle. Multiple council members asked for continued review of the PSG program design and said they would support a more comprehensive review in committee or as part of the next budget cycle.