Jacksonville Mayor Donna Degan is trying to make good on a promise made to River City residents back in the late 1960s during consolidation. Funds for the septic tank phaseout program are part of the city’s newly released final transition report.

Among the items in the massive $101.5 billion state budget for the upcoming year is $6 million for the septic tank phase-out project in Jacksonville. Lawmakers still have to vote on the bill.

For the years, the News4Jax I-TEAM pointed out the broken promise by the city to repair and replace old and broken septic tanks. Jacksonville City Council and the mayor’s office are about to introduce new legislation that targets at least $100 and could go as high as $250 million to continue to fix the problem.

Just days after the Jacksonville City Council voted to approve more than $14 million in city funding to phase out failing septic tanks, city leaders are hoping more money may be coming from Tallahassee.

At-large Jacksonville City Councilmember Terrance Freeman said the plan is about more than protecting the health of the river and improving the quality of life for residents. We have a lot of work to do,” Freeman told host Kent Justice for Sunday’s This Week in Jacksonville. AdThe effort to remove septic tanks is meant to make good on a broken promise made in 1968 during consolidation. But to this day, tens of thousands of Jacksonville residents still depend on septic tanks, which have harmful effects on the local tributaries. This week, Freeman hosted a meeting at City Hall that brought together, parents, coaches and others to talk about safety.