As her proposed $2.02 billion city operating budget nears examination by the full Jacksonville City Council, Mayor Donna Deegan went directly to residents Sept. 2 to defend her spending plans and criticize a push by a majority of the members to reduce the property tax rate.

Deegan appeared at the Mandarin Senior Citizen Center for the first of six town hall meetings scheduled over the next three weeks to discuss her budget, which is subject to a Council vote in September before the start of the city’s 2025-26 fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

She took questions from attendees, defending her position on spending increases for such social needs as affordable housing and public health. Her series of town halls comes after the Council Finance Committee voted to reduce the millage rate by one-ei

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