Jacksonville council passes multi‑project finance substitute after extended debate over $2 million for Edward Waters University

After lengthy floor debate that stretched into multiple substitutes and amendments, the Jacksonville City Council approved a finance substitute on Dec. 9 that funds a package of workforce development and community projects and places conditions on a $2 million grant to Edward Waters University.

Council member Matt Arias, the bill sponsor, said the substitute reflected months of committee work and added safeguards for the city’s investment. “We added additional guardrails to protect our investment,” Arias said, noting revised term sheets, use‑agreement requirements and a new apprenticeship component included in the legislation.

The council’s Office of General Counsel told members it still had lingering concerns about whether the Edward Waters appropriation met the legal standard for a public purpose but said the revised terms and a use‑agreement requirement strengthened the city’s position. The legal office recommended additional analysis, prompting Council member Chris Miller to offer a floor substitute to move the $2 million for Edward Waters “below the line” into contingency so the legal review and a joint‑use agreement could be completed before any disbursement.

Miller argued the city should complete its due diligence before releasing taxpayer funds. “This city gets sued a lot, and there’s a lot of money that’s paid off in those lawsuits,” he said, urging colleagues to give general counsel time to finish its review.

Council member Rory Diamond offered a compromise amendment that kept the Edward Waters appropriation above the line but required that the use agreement — the document describing city and public access to the project’s facilities — be brought back to the council for approval before any funds could be spent. OGC confirmed that approach would allow the council to appropriate the funds while preserving a future oversight vote on the use agreement.

Edward Waters University’s representative, Dr. Michael West, told the council the university accepted the Diamond amendment and understood the need for community engagement and contractual clarity.

The substitute, as amended by the Arias and Diamond changes, passed on a verbal/ballot vote reported by the clerk as unanimous. By council action the finance substitute (2025‑0781) was approved and will move forward with the added requirement that the use agreement be presented to the council for approval prior to disbursements.

The council’s action also retained contingency language for other portions of the package and included revised term sheets negotiated with the administration. Supporters said the package advances workforce development and capital improvements while opponents said more time was needed to resolve legal questions. The council will require the administration and Edward Waters to return with the use agreement before any Edward Waters funds are released.