Last year, the City partnered with the LEAN Competency System (LCS), a nonprofit organization renowned for advancing continuous improvement and operational excellence across many private sectors, on 904 LEAN. This collaboration is helping to ensure a more efficient and effective process for the City, which in turn, reflects its commitment to operational excellence – essentially reducing waste while maintaining the quality of services Jacksonville residents rely on.
 
Through 904 LEAN, the City has streamlined the permitting process, digitized contract approvals, automated expense reports, and more. The City has also certified 34 LEAN Green Belts among its employees, saving each of them an average of 800 hours each. And 67 more Green Belts are on track to be certified in the next few months.
 
To date, these efforts have saved the City more than 216,000 hours of its employees’ time, which equates to an entire year’s worth of work saved for 103 employees.
 
“This means faster response times, less bureaucracy, and better services for the public,” said Jacksonville Mayor Deegan. “When our people are spending less time on paperwork and administrative duties, that gives them more time to fix a pothole; to help deliver meals to the food insecure; to help a business owner get their permit faster; and to save lives at the Fire Department. 904 LEAN means a better quality of life for every Jacksonville citizen.”
 
Additionally, entities like JEA and Florida Blue that have also committed to LEAN principles have saved tens of millions of dollars over time.
 
More information on LEAN 904 is available on the City’s Transparency Dashboards, under “Waste Warrior.”
 
“The City of Jacksonville stands out as a shining example of this transformation,” noted James Bussell, Executive Director of the Jacksonville LEAN Consortium. “In the early stages of their LEAN journey, they have already achieved significant progress by embedding LEAN principles and practices into their culture…the city has taken impactful steps to streamline operations, address inefficiencies, and enhance service delivery for residents.”
 
In addition to the updates on LEAN 904, Mayor Deegan also announced that Jacksonville is one of the first cities in the nation to leverage AI and advanced financial modeling to improve its budgeting process.
 
To do so, the City has partnered with C3 AI. This data-driven approach will help the City catch redundant spending, hold vendors accountable, and more – ultimately lessening the tax burden on residents.
 
Additionally, Mayor Deegan announced that her administration is currently working on new legislation that will ensure fairness and accountability for your taxpayer dollars and how they are spent.
 
“These innovations aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet—they mean a better quality of life for every Jacksonville citizen,” reiterated Mayor Deegan. “More efficient budgeting means more resources for critical services like public safety, infrastructure, and community programs. It means reducing waste, while also maintaining the quality of services people rely on.”
 
LCS’ CEO, Chris Dando added:” We are absolutely delighted to partner with City of Jacksonville on their exciting operational excellence journey. Our vision is to make LCS the world's leading improvement qualifications and community, and this partnership with one of the US’ most forward-thinking cities supports us on this journey, by further increasing our impact on the global stage”.