Ahead of Jacksonville’s city council’s vote on a nearly $2 billion budget, Jacksonville community leaders gathered Sunday to ensure residents were prepared and understood the process.

The council’s finance committee has spent months reviewing Mayor Donna Deegan’s budget proposal, making various cuts, edits and additions since its initial presentation more than two months ago.

“We are educating the public and preparing them to speak at the city council budget meeting on September 23rd,” said Rose Mary McCoy of the Harriet Tubman Freedom Fighters, one of several community groups leading the preparation efforts at Avondale United Methodist Church.

Local attorney Leslie Scott Jean-Bart emphasized the importance of public participation in the budget process. “The budget is for us. It’s for t

See Full Page