Tallahassee City Commission Meeting Briefs: January 26, 2022

Tallahassee City Commission Meeting Briefs: January 26, 2022

Provided below are brief notes for items addressed at the January 26, 2022 Tallahassee City Commission.

–Mayor John Dailey read a proclamation recognizing January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

–The mayor also acknowledged Honor Flight Tallahassee. Honor Flight is a program that flies veterans to Washington D.C. to view the memorials and dedications built in honor of U.S. veterans. The next flight is scheduled for April 2022.

–The commissioners appointed Delaitre Hollinger to the Special Events Advisory Committee seat. Also, Remera Haynes was reappointed to the Special Events Advisory Committee. Both appointees’ terms will end in March 2025.

–Matt Cooper was appointed to the Architectural Review Board, and his term will expire in June 2024. The Architectural Review Board is a joint City/County board.

–Donna Cotterell was appointed by the city commissioners and was chosen by Commissioner Matlow to the Citizens Police Review Board. Her term will end on December 31, 2025.

–The city approved the introduction of Ordinance No. 22-O-02 and set the public hearing for March 9, 2022. The ordinance is regarding a parcel of land owned by Frank Dorsey, who submitted a petition for annexation into the City of Tallahassee. His property is located at Woodville Highway and Capital Circle SW.

–The Board heard an update on the construction efforts of the Northwood site. The update included information on the design and construction activities associated with the TPD headquarters building project and the master planning process.

Additionally, the Board approved the proposed Performing Arts Center into the master planning efforts for the Northwood site. The arts center will be paid for by the Michael H. Sheridan and Judy W. Sheridan Center for the Arts Foundation, Inc.

–During the discussion about the performing arts center, Commissioner Williams-Cox amended the motion to approve the center but also to have a satellite center on Tallahassee’s Southside.

–The City of Tallahassee’s TEMPO program is partnering with the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce (the Chamber) and Tallahassee Community College (TCC) to have access to technical assistance and subgrant funding, up to $50,000, to address equitable credential attainment locally. The grant “aims to demonstrate increased credential attainment and to provide a roadmap for continuing to increase credential attainment, particularly for black, indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) workers.”

–The Board also approved the partnership between GII, Goodwill Industries – Big Bend, Inc., and the TEMPO Program as part of the Young Adult Reentry Partnership (YARP) grant awarded to GII. The partnership seeks to increase educational, employment, and training opportunities for 110 formerly incarcerated disconnected youth, ages 18 to 24, engaged in the city’s TEMPO program.

–The commissioners authorized the City of Tallahassee to participate in the Council on the Status of Men and Boys, in conjunction with the Sheriff’s Office and Leon County Schools to address the issues brought forth in the “Anatomy of the Homicide Project” report by Sheriff Walt McNeil.

–City staff was recently made aware of an award that will provide the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) with additional software and equipment to be utilized at the Capital Region Real Time Crime Center (RTCC). The commissioners unanimously approved the expenditure of the grant for $120,811.

–The Board approved the Interlocal Agreement with Leon County for debris removal after a catastrophic event. A project is established from the Deficiency Fund to track costs and pay for storm cleanup. The price is submitted to FEMA and the State of Florida for reimbursement, generally 87.5%.

–The commissioners voted to accept the city attorney’s opinion as to the city’s position on the jurisdiction of the Board. The city attorney’s interpretation of the city charter is that elected officials of the City of Tallahassee are not subject to the Independent Ethics Board’s jurisdiction. In other words, when an elected official is functioning as a member of the CRA or Blueprint, they are held accountable by the State Ethics Commission. The vote passed 3-1 with the mayor in dissent, and Commissioner Matlow recused himself.

–During the Sharing of Ideas portion of the commission meeting, Matlow motioned to have city staff bring back an agenda item to the Board to understand better how to expand the ethics board’s jurisdiction over CRA, CRTPA, and Blueprint. Commissioner Porter seconded the motion. However, the motion failed in a 3-2 vote with Williams-Cox, Richardson, and the mayor in opposition.

14 Responses to "Tallahassee City Commission Meeting Briefs: January 26, 2022"

  1. More government boondoggles in the leftist city of Tally. People, yall need to get a clue and get some conservatives running and winning.

  2. I read the column before y’all did and was furious. After the under-privileged youth is released from prison, the taxpayer is going to pay to teach him to do something. And another thing, Taxes are not lower in retirement!

  3. Where is the Resolution by the City Commission denouncing the Trafficker-in-Chief, Biden, responsible for our high crime rate, due to allowing the drug cartels to bring in illegal drugs across the border?

  4. @ JPB, the Mary Brogan Arts Museum, I believe it failed and they tried to turn it into a Math & Scuence Center and I believe that too failed. I can’t remember if that was the Building they tore down, (where the Food Truck Court was). Also, wasn’t the Mary Brogan Arts Museum the one where a Painting was being diplayed that turned out to be stolen? Why YES IT WAS: https://observer.com/2011/11/u-s-agents-remove-stolen-renaissance-painting-from-florida-museum/

  5. “However, the motion failed in a 3-2 vote with Williams-Cox, Richardson, and the mayor in opposition.”

    We see this split again and again. We have the old party leftists (Williams-Cox, Richardson and Dailey) in one camp. We have the new progressive squad party leftists (Matlow and Porter) in the other camp. And we have nobody on the political right.

    We have a one party town and it will stay that way as long as the majority of people, who bother to vote in the local elections, vote left again and again. And as long as dissatisfied people don’t bother to vote in the local elections at all.

  6. “During the discussion about the performing arts center, Commissioner Williams-Cox amended the motion to approve the center but also to have a satellite center on Tallahassee’s Southside.”

    Soooooo… who will be paying for the satellite center?

  7. I have not seen any discussion at the city level guaranteeing the city aka us taxpayers will never be on the hook for this project’s future oprrational or capital expenses! This has been the chief reasons citizens have been against in the past. Let’s hear and see a written agreement from the Sheridans.

  8. The generous and benevolent Sheridan’s should withdraw their offer untill the City and County Commissioners undo their illegal funding scheme where they are diverting infrastructure funds to the stadium.

    People need to step-up and say NO and quit enabling the corruption.

    Mayor Dailey’s and County Commissioner Nick Maddox’s illlegal diversion of infrastructure funds will far more do more harm than the benefit from a Performing Arts Center.

    Now let’s see if the doctor who took an oath to do no harm who is running against Marlow be a proponent of the illegal infrastructure diversion scheme that will do harm to our community.

  9. Agree Tony, the whole concept of funding a non needed performing arts center has the appearance of purchasing a grandiose grave marker headstone or fancy mausoleum to help the community remember a life well lived for generations to come. Is that why God blesses some of us with success and good fortune? Some may view it as trying to take one’s God given fortune into Heaven with them.
    A more Godly use of one’s God given talents and lifetime success may be found in the article above. I know Mr. Thomas who runs the TEMPO program and his success rate is phenomenal. TEMPO is literally turning lives around and would quite likely be a more Godly use of one’s God given lifetime of success and good fortune. A fancy mausoleum with your name carved in stone over the doorway to the preforming arts center is probably worthless in Heaven.

    Let’s pause to wonder what the good Lord would feel if comparing saving countless of souls from a life of misery with TEMPO in one hand and a performing arts center in the Lord’s other hand. Do what you want with your legacy of course it’s your right. But just in case you maybe haven’t considered other options I thank you for reading this comment to the end.

  10. The arts center will be paid for by the Michael H. Sheridan and Judy W. Sheridan Center for the Arts Foundation, Inc., which we do NOT need, who will be Maintaining it after the Sheridan’s build it? If it will be the Tax Payers then, their names should be removed from it. We don’t need it, there is the Civic Center, Ruby Diamond, and several other buildings perfect for this.

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