City to Address $1.8 Million in New Funding for Community Priorities

City to Address $1.8 Million in New Funding for Community Priorities

The first of two public Hearings on the FY23 budget plan will take place at Wednesday’s Tallahassee City Commission meeting. During that meeting, elected officials will consider $1.82 million in new funding for community priorities in Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23).

The agenda item notes that “based on public input received throughout the FY23 Budget Development process, the City Commission directed staff to include new funding to address a variety of different needs throughout the community.”

The projects set to receive additional funding are listed below:

  • Gun Violence Prevention – This funding will address gun violence prevention by engaging community partners and exploring a variety of proven measures.
    • Amount:  $1,000,000 (5-year funding for a total of $5 million)
  • Tallahassee Emergency Assessment Mobile (TEAM) Unit program – An additional $200,000 of funding would allow the program to expand the program, increasing the daily response coverage.
    • Amount: $200,000
  • Council on the Status of Men and Boys – Startup funding will cover operating costs, with additional funding provided by the Leon County Sheriff, Leon County School Board, and Leon County.
    • Amount: $140,000
  • Community Beautification – This reflects an increase in service contracts approved last year due to minimum wage changes and increased demand for services, and will avoid a reduction in services.
    • Amount: $266,000
  • Commission on the Status of Women and Girls – Additional funding will provide a full-time executive director for the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and one part-time administrative support staff.
    • Amount: $48,750
  • John G. Riley Center – Additional funding will provide one new position to support the John G. Riley Center in FY23. The curator position is currently funded by the Riley Foundation through the end of FY22 and will be fully funded by the City in the General Fund beginning in FY23.
    • Amount: $65,700
  • Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC) – Final startup funding, along with Leon County contributions will create a multi-level virtual outreach and training program focused on how the private sector can recognize, respond to, and prevent human trafficking.
    • Amount: $30,000
  • Animal Services – Three new full-time positions: one full-time Animal Service Specialist position and converting two existing Veterinary Technician positions from OPS to full-time.
    • Amount: $69,137

According to the agenda, staff is preparing an item for the September 21 City Commission meeting that will provide analysis and options for utilization of the $1 million of new funding for gun violence prevention measures in FY23.

The final approval of the FY23 budget will be considered at a second public hearing scheduled for September 21, 2022.

18 Responses to "City to Address $1.8 Million in New Funding for Community Priorities"

  1. I sure wish they could add a few more speed bumps on piedmont. The 97 they installed are clearly not enough. Oh wait, none of these initiatives are north of midtown as usual.

  2. Our “leaders” are obviously warming up to work at the Fed level – Tallahassee is Wash D.C. Jr. The “Gun Violence prevention” is pure nonsense; as another poster stated, get rid of Jack Campbell, enforce the 10-20-life law and let Chief Revell dictate what TPD does, NOT the County mgr. The status issues on Men & Boys and Women & Girls have no place in govt. These are family issues, and if they can’t handle their own families then enforcing 10-20-life will remedy that.

  3. I hope you all feel good about this nearly $2 million in “new” funding. Meanwhile a 3-5% raise is built in for city employees, staff will still be having Starbucks coffee at their meetings. Car Allowance will be provided, diversity training required, healthcare premiums reduced, junkets to other cities provided, United Partners to be funded to teach woke theory to non profits as a requirement to lobby for more tax money, etc. etc.

    It is a trough and you are responsible for filling it

    But this is “new” money.

  4. Save our $5 MILLION and just do “Stop & Frisk” and “Stop and Search” on all Vehicles with Males 15 to 50 years of age in them in the areas of Town that there are crime issues between the hours of 9:00pm and 5:00am. And while you are at it, get rid of Jack Campbell and the Assistant DA’s and start using the 10-20-LIFE Law to the MAX.

  5. Why do we spend 1 million on ‘gun violence’ when its only a smart part of violence? Why not address ALL violence, regardless of what tool is used?

  6. This City continues to throw money away on programs with little or no accountability. Does it give you a warm and fuzzy feeling know we are spending $5 Mil to explore gun violence prevention initiatives? Use the money to put individuals to work, pay them, teach them what it means to work and use those resources to clean up areas around town that need cleaning up. I for one am done with my tax dollars paying for councils and commissions and task forces and assessments that never show results and are never held accountable. But it must sure make some feel good.

  7. @ TMFT We used to have some Nice Bus Stop Shelters but, the Vandals keep destroying them with Graffiti and breaking the Plexi-Glass Walls. The Bathrooms would be nice too BUT, they don’t have the Man Power or the Funds to keep them Maintained. They would have to be cleaned and restocked 4 to 6 times a Day PLUS, you will have to keep them from turning into Homeless Shelters and Gay Hook Up Places.

  8. For what it’s worth… None of these programs would fall under the Blue Print umbrella… soooo, there’s that. Not that either the FSU, FAMU, or TCC handouts should have been made… but facts are facts. Lots of wasteful spending in this proposal as well.

  9. @ Frank………. the First Article said it was for Repairs, there was NOT $20 Million in Repairs needed. The rest of the Articles said VIP Seating. What angers me the most is, FSU said the Repairs and Seating was going to get done anyway if they didn’t get the Money so, WHY give them the Money?

  10. Frank,

    The budget deficit is on Mayor Dailey’s watch and City Manager Reese Goad’s watch and they need to be held accountable.

    The gun violence expenditure is a boondoggle for sure. They could take a few others off the table as well.

  11. Oh my… where to begin with this list of mostly wasteful spending. Save for the Animal Services and Community Beautification, none of these expenditures will improve anything… starting with the intentionally mistitled term known as “Gun Violence”. Semantics is the word game used by the left to hide its true agenda. There is no such thing as gun violence. A gun is an inanimate object incapable of acting on its own. The “violence” comes from the person using the gun. But the left calls it “gun” violence to hide the reality of their intent, which of course is to eliminate the 2nd Amendment and our God-Given right to protect ourselves from the repetitive violent criminals they continue to release into our communities over and over and over again.

    I am curious why the woke Marxists haven’t yet attacked the use of the terms “Men and Boys” and “Women and Girls”… again, semantics and selective outrage at play here.

    As always… “You will never solve a problem you refuse to recognize”

  12. WOW, just $1.8 Million for Community Priorities? Could have been $20 Million if not for the 20 VIP Seats at Doak Campbell Stadium that will only be used 6 to 8 Days a YEAR.

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