Questions to Ponder While Reading
- Do You Think City Tax Dollars Should Support Charities and Social Service Programs?
- What Programs Do You Think Deserve Tax Dollars?
- Should Giving To Charities Be Left To Individuals?
For the fiscal year 2008, the City of Tallahassee provided “Outside Agencies” with approximately $2.8 million in funding. The FY2009 budget is recommending a level of funding on par with 2008. This amount is approximately 2-2.5% of the City’s 2008 General Fund Revenue.
The part of the budget that deals with “Outside Agencies” is divided into six categories: Cultural, Social Services, Neighborhood Preservation, Economic Development, Historic Preservation, and Environmental. Over 70% of the $2.8 million in funding to “Outside Agencies” is allocated to the Cultural ($890,732) and Social Services (1,545,000) categories.
Tallahassee Reports has found that under the Social Services category approximately $1,140,000 of the $1,545,000 goes to support approximately 30 different charities and social service organizations. The amount of funding for these groups range from a low of $8,000 to a high of $135,575. The average funding level across the 30 groups is $38,000. See list below for details.
| Organization | Amount |
|---|---|
| 211 Big Bend | $25,421 |
| A Life Recovery Center | $52,999 |
| African Carribean Dance Theatre | $58,250 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of the Big Bend, Inc | $30,000 |
| Boys Town of North Florida | $33,374 |
| Brehon Institute | $37,728 |
| Capital Area Community Action Agency | $75,828 |
| Children’s Home Society | $43,000 |
| ECHO | $57,000 |
| Elder Care Services, Inc. | $12,075 |
| FL Disabled outdoors Association | $9,761 |
| Frenchtown Outreach Center | $68,000 |
| Frenchtwon Neighborhood Improvement | $5,000 |
| FSU Project KICK | $52,000 |
| Kids, Inc. | $28,500 |
| Lee’s Place | $39,000 |
| Leon Special Olympics | $20,000 |
| Lincoln Neighborhood Service Center | $40,000 |
| Mothers in Crisis | $12,500 |
| Pace Center for Girls | $20,000 |
| Pivotal Point | $52,500 |
| Project Annie | $7,000 |
| Refuge House, Inc. | $11,489 |
| Second Harvest Food Bank | $20,000 |
| Senior Service Center | $8,000 |
| Sickle Cell Foundation | $20,000 |
| Smith/Williams Service Center | $8,000 |
| Visions of Manhood | $65,000 |
| Hope Community | $135,575 |
| Project Whole Child | $40,000 |
Tallahassee Spends $1,140,000 On Various Charities and Social Service Programs added by Staff on
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I believe we should help those who cannot help themselves, but I feel that it’s not the local governments place to direct my tax dollars to the cultural and social services they see fit. Many of these organizations seem to have similar missions. Let me decide how I donate my money. No dance theater should be subsidized by the government beyond a tax exemption certificate.
To: County Commissioners and Tourist Development Council
Re: Green [Ecotourism] Cheeks in Seats = Heads in Beds
Please don’t raise bed taxes to cover the $500,000 airline subsidy. Don’t double dollars going to a performing arts center that may never be built. You don’t need to raise taxes. Simply put all cultural and non-tax regenerating programs, “Cheeks in Seats” programs on a $600,000 per year budget. Use the 4th cent for “Cheeks in Seats.” Use the rest for “Heads in Beds” tax regenerating expenditures. Don’t eat the seed corn.
“Cheeks in Seats” for the airline subsidy is not authorized by statute. “Cheeks in Seats” is authorized for building a performing arts center. But, it is not authorized for lobbing efforts to raise taxes by the PAC organization. http://www.taxteaparty.com/taxfortax
Ice Capades, French Horns, Mama’s, Spouse’s and Pivot Points aside, commissioners have done enough to “jump start” private contributions for the PAC. Over ONE MILLION DOLLARS have been spent to “jump start” private donations. Another million remains to be spent. Let the wonderful PAC organizers now raise some real private money.
Direct future 4th cent collections and the existing $1M reserve if you wish to “Cheeks in Seats” if you must. But, keep the remaining dollars focused on tourism marketing “Heads in Beds” and regeneration of the bed tax dollars for future marketing. Just say Ecotourism.
May I suggest that you redirect the 4th cent to Ecotourism “Heads in Beds”? I think one could make a case that a targeted airline subsidy could be designed around Ecotourism that might fit into the “Heads in Beds” tax regenerating model and statute.
Pace Allen, Tallahassee native, Attorney, CPA, former Chairman – Tallahassee Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
General Partner, Paden Properties, LLC
Professional Green Hotel Management, http://www.paden.info
Mobile: 850.556.0709
Report on how much the city and county spends on police officers that are mainly used for traffic…ie speeding tickets. How much for the cars and motorcycles and the radar and lasers. Then on the fines where does the money go. Court cost etc.
Thanks
Scott
Keep up the great work. I’m most agrivated about the John Dailey Goodwood Bailout. How Good Would you like a $300,000 bailout? The meeting space at Goodwood competes against private owners of meeting space. The commissioners raided the Tourist Development funds this past year.
There’s no virtue in taking from neighbors for charity.
Pace
Pace Allen
attorney, CPA, former Chairman – Tallahassee Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.taxteaparty.com/goodwood