The local budget debate, over the proposed property tax increase, has taken many twist and turns and final approval is still more than a month away. The recent 3-2 vote to tentatively approve a 23% increase in property taxes leaves the door open for more debate. The City has gone to great lengths to justify […]
At the July meeting of the City’s Ethics Board, the General Counsel position was filled by a lawyer who is employed by a law firm that has been awarded contracts by the City Commission totaling approximately $800,000. The action, initiated by Chair Lila Jaber, is raising questions about the independence of the Board, which was established […]
Tallahassee Reports recently posted a story on the 21% increase in spending requested by Mayor Gillum’s office in the proposed 2016 City of Tallahassee budget. The full story, with video from the budget workshop where City Commissioner Scott Maddox asked about the increase, can be seen here. Now we have more details about the increase. Tallahassee Reports […]
Tallahassee Reports has learned that Mayor Andrew Gillum is seeking a 21% increase in the Mayor’s office budget in 2016.The increase would be funded through a portion of the proposed property tax increase. A review of the budget shows that in 2015 the Mayor’s office, when you remove the City’s lobbying contract which is a pass […]
In an exclusive interview with Tallahassee Reports, Steven Slade, the President of the Big Bend Chapter of the Florida PBA, voiced his frustration with City officials and their portrayal of the property tax increase in the local media. On Sunday the Tallahassee Democrat published an editorial asking the City to reconsider the proposed property tax […]
It is time to get real! Yesterday at the City Budget workshop , Commissioner Nancy Miller made an impassioned plea for a 27% increase in property taxes- her rationale: it is not much money when compared to the money shes pays for comcast cable. She said “we are fighting over $10 per month for many […]
When City Manager Anita Favors released her proposed budget last month for FY 2016, which includes a 27% increase in property taxes, her press release called the proposal a “public safety budget.” The press release detailed the increase in positions for public safety and also mentioned the $500,000 allocated for street resurfacing. However, one item […]
The Tallahassee Democrat has a major story in their Sunday edition on the City’s proposed 2015-16 budget, which includes a 27% increase in property taxes. However, when it comes to reporting the amount in the budget for non-public safety pay raises for city employees, the Tallahassee Democrat publishes an incorrect number. Byron Dobson, the Tallahassee […]
Today, City Manager Anita Favors Thompson released her proposed budget for 2015-16. In a city press release entitled “City Manager Releases Proposed Public Safety Budget”, Ms. Favors recommends hiring 18 police officers and 16 fireman.Ms. Favors also proposes a $10.8 million property tax increase. The property tax rate would increase by 27% from 3.7 mills […]
It appears the City of Tallahassee’s lack of attention to public safety over the last nine years has not been limited to funding for more police officers. During a recent City budget workshop, City Manager Anita Favors Thompson took time to tell City Commissioners that the City’s Police Department building, located on Seventh Avenue, is […]