JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Mayor John Peyton said earlier this year that the city is in a budget crisis and has had to raise taxes to keep up with city services.

"I think we have an agreement now that we can move forward and keep Jacksonville on track with a marginal, marginal increase in taxes but an expansive cutting to the government," Peyton said in September.

The cutting included a hiring freeze, but since then, that has not been the case. The city has hired 187 new employees since Oct. 1. It comes at a time when money is tight and job position have been eliminated.

"Anytime a position is open, there is an evaluation and a determination made if it's a job we can live without or a job that needs to be filled," said Misty Skipper, a spokeswoman for the mayor's office. "But the bulk of the positions hired since Oct. 1 are direct service positions."

Some of the jobs still available are more than just clerical. They include a solid waste environmental manager, an administrative supervisor, which includes a salary more than $5,000 a month, a firefighter position and a part-time clinical associate.

The majority of those hired by the city have been with the sheriff's office. However, the city is also hiring other potions like at the library, which includes a salary of $60,000.

The city said it did scale back jobs this year but never laid people off. The city said the current available jobs are vital.

"As part of the budget cycle, we eliminated nearly 200 positions from this government, and we took a bulk of those jobs out already, and what we are filling now are those providing services to this community," Skipper said.