Jacksonville Review – November 2025 Issue
OUTSTANDING HONOREE—Mayor Bowen proudly presented Austin Landis with a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of his pride in his community and his outstanding beautification efforts. Austin has been cleaning up graffiti alongside his grandfather, Jim Donaldson, demonstrating a strong dedication to maintaining and improving the local environment.
Britt Ticket Tax Revised—Council revisited Resolution No. 1099, codified in 2006 to split the fees collected from sales of Britt Music & Arts Festival ticket sales wherein Britt would keep 15% of the admission tax for administrative expenses and send 85% to the city. Britt CEO Abby McKee proposed that the city receive 75% of the ticket tax and Britt retain 25% as an administrative fee, to “increase Britt’s tax remittance by approximately 17% (based on 2024 numbers), requiring our staff to cut around $10,000 in expenses annually to balance our budget.” After deliberating, Council voted “no” on staff’s 85/15 split and then voted 5-2 for an 80/20 ticket tax split to be codified at an upcoming meeting.
Office Space & Sandwich Boards—Council’s monthly work session (at press time) focused on updating the code to reflect the proliferation of sandwich boards and the conversion of retail space to commercial office space. Both topics have been vetted by the Planning Commission in recent weeks. The City Council ideas will be sent back to the Planning Commission, including sandwich boards no larger than 2’x3’ in size that will be monitored for compliance and require an annual license fee. Council also discussed the option of banning sandwich boards due to the “junky” appearance. Council is researching all options to prohibit future office space from occupying one- and two-story buildings on California Street and is forwarding its recommendations to the Planning Commission.
Bed Tax Grants Awarded—Based upon the recommendation from the Transient Lodging Tax Committee at its September 23, meeting, Council approved funding grants for Historic Jacksonville, Inc.—Jacksonville’s Museum without Walls Project for $9,000 and, the Jacksonville Community Center—Support for JCC Expenses in support of Event Rentals for $11,095.