On November 2, the citizens of Tallahassee and Leon County will elect or re-elect the individuals they deem best suited to lead our community for the next four years. Tallahassee voters must choose between primary survivors Nancy Miller and Stephen Hogge to replace Commissioner Debbie Lightsey, who is retiring from her 21-year post in Seat 3. In the county, all registered voters will receive an opportunity to re-elect Commissioner Cliff Thaell or select challenger Nick Maddox.
To aid citizens in tracking and evaluating the status of the economic recovery in Leon County, Tallahassee Reports created the Economic Recovery (ER) Index.
Now that the recession is officially over (as of June 2009), when will the jobs come back and where will they come from? As most economists will tell you, in a normal recession employment is one of the last economic indicators to show improvement. However, as we all know, this recession is different.
As we enter the smart meter and time-of-use rates (TOU) era here in Tallahassee, and in fact, throughout the United States, the debate over who benefits more, consumers or the utilities, will be front and center for years to come.
As we enter the smart meter and time-of-use rates (TOU) era here in Tallahassee, and in fact, throughout the United States, the debate over who benefits more, consumers or the utilities, will be front and center for years to come.
To understand where you are, sometimes it is useful to look at where you have been. With the recent approval of a 15% property tax increase to plug the hole in the COT’s General Fund, Tallahassee Reports decided to take a look back. The first task was to look back at the budgets over the previous […]
Tallahassee Reports has completed an analysis that indicates that the COT government spending has increased as a percentage of the Tallahassee’s Gross Domestic Product from 2005-2008. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the measure of all goods and services provided. Using Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) data on Gross Domestic Product and City of Tallahassee expenditure data, the analysis indicates the COT GDP grew 11.6%, while […]
During a recent public hearing on the COT budget, a number of citizens criticized Mayor Marks for having four aides. Each time a citizen leveled the charge, Mayor Marks shook his head as to say no that is not the case. A quick perusal of the budget for the Office of the Mayor indicates there are […]
Tallahassee Reports has written about the $172 million in reserve funds the City of Tallahassee has tucked away. Part of the $172 million includes approximately $95 million in a “rate stabilization fund.” During an informative discussion with Assistant City Manager Raoul Lavin, he detailed the parameters regulating the use of the rate stabilization fund. The uses […]
On Tuesday, September 8th, Assistant City Manager Raul Lavin addressed several issues on The Morning Show with Preston Scott. Research by Tallahassee Reports indicates that answers given by Mr. Lavin on the deferred compensation and the electric utility reserve funds are not consistent with information contained in publicly available documents. Deferred Compensation On the deferred compensation, Mr. […]
