Jacksonville Beach councilman didn't realize Jacksonville's financial problem

[Patricia M. McBride]

Gee, he isn't going to run again. Probably a good idea as I doubt he could get re-elected after the size of the property tax increase these folks will have in the middle of the worst economic conditions in literally years.

The new councilman said he voted for the 24 percent tax rate hike out of necessity.

Posted: October 6, 2010 - 12:00am

By Drew Dixon

Dick Brown, who recently resumed his position as the Beaches representative on the Jacksonville City Council, said this week he knew the city was in tough financial times. He just didn't know how tough.

That, he said, is why he had to reverse his recent promise to vote against a Jacksonville budget package that included a major tax increase for the Beaches. So last week, he joined the council majority in supporting a $1 billion Jacksonville budget that will mean an 8 percent property tax hike for Jacksonville but a 24 percent incre....

"My comments were premature," Brown said of his statements published in Shorelines Sept. 25. "I shouldn't have spoken too quickly. Part of it was based on my arm's-length knowledge of what was going on downtown without being fully informed."

Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Brown, a former Neptune Beach mayor and Jacksonville City Council member, to the Beaches council seat, making the third change to that council seat in the past year. The position opened in mid-July, when Crist appointed Art Graham to the state's Public Service Commission.

But Brown found himself in the middle of one of the most turbulent budget seasons in Jacksonville history. A major property tax rate increase was looming in the midst of a sour economy. On top of that, a mathematical error last year by the Duval County Property Appraiser's Office meant Beaches residents would get an even higher tax rate hike than the rest of Duval County.

Jacksonville officials called the Beaches tax rate increase a collision of three things: a mistake that caused Jacksonville to undercharge Beaches property owners on their taxes last year; a proposed tax increase for Jacksonville residents; and a tax formula Jacksonville uses to charge Beaches residents for services such as libraries, roads and the county jail.

Jacksonville budget officer Kent Olson said the proposed Beaches tax rate of $6.83 per $1,000 of assessed value seemed like a large increase because Jacksonville charged Beaches residents too low a rate last year.

Brown acknowledged Monday he didn't fully understand the dynamics of the tax rate increase facing the Beaches.

"What happened was that at the time [he was appointed], I heard about a pretty dramatic increase that seemed like a mistake in our interlocal agreement" between the Beaches and Jacksonville, Brown said. "Then I found that within the budget, there was a separate budget for the Beaches."

Given the position Jacksonville found itself in, trying to maintain services while generating more property tax revenue, Brown said he could do nothing other than support the budget proposal.

"The situation is that everyone is aware of the economy. The Jacksonville government is in a bind," said Brown. "I knew this going in, but I didn't realize the extent of it. ... It's worse than I realized."

Last week's Jacksonville council vote occurred over two days and followed hours of heated debate.

Meanwhile, Brown said he's turning his attention to protecting the interests of the Beaches on the Jacksonville council. He said even though it's been 11 years since he served on the council, he's found most issues are easy to adjust to.

However, the fiscal climate is entirely different than when he last held office on the council in 1999.

"The economy has changed drastically since I was on the council," said Brown. "But the important point is that the same relationship exists and the Beaches were not penalized for last year's [property appraiser] mistake."

While Brown left the same council seat over a decade ago due to term limits, he can still run for election again when the seat is up for grabs next spring. The term limits stipulation is only for consecutive terms.

But Brown said he's not interested in running for office again and that the nature of campaign fundraising has become so extreme, he doesn't want another stab at winning a council seat.

"I don't have the stomach for that now," said Brown.

Drew Dixon can also be reached at [phone], ext. 6313.

http://jacksonville.com/community/shorelines/2010-10-06/story/brown...