A tip from a frequent reader of this site, followed by a public data request, has revealed interesting information about the benefits that Tallahassee City Commissioners receive for their public service.
The salary of City Commissioners has been discussed in public for many years. Since the installation of the full-time Mayor position, the salary of the four part-time Commissioners was set at $36,000 per year and the Mayor receives $72,000 per year.
On top of that however, the data request indicates that each City Commissioner receives some additional perks. First, each City Commissioner receives an annually “employer paid deferred compensation” payment. The payments are $16,499 for Commissioner Gillum, $21,999 for Commissioners Katz, Lightsey and Marks, and $22,219 for Commissioner Mustian.
Tallahassee Reports has confirmed this payment is in addition to their salary and that the money can only be accessed after the Commissioners cease to be city employees.
Additional perks for each Commissioner include a $3,000 a year car allowance and an annual City Commission Benefit Allowance of $1,315.
The public record request also indicates that all City Commissioner positions are eligible for the general employee benefits which include flexbucks, totaling $1,968 annually, city contribution toward the annual cost of health insurance, $9,111 for Family or $7,534 for Two-Party, city contribution to a 401K plan – 5% of eligible earnings, and enrollment in the City’s pension plan.
If my math is correct, a part-time Commissioner receives close to $70,000 in annual benefits and the Mayor receives close $106,000.
City Commissioner Benefits Are More Than You Think! added by Staff on
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I would like to know what Andrew Gillum receives in annual income from People for the American Way Foundation. I have been reading up on this group and it is nothing more than ACORN by another name.
After seeing the commission meeting this evening (9/23) and finding out that the commissioners make what they make and they temselves are not willing to cut any of the benefits they make it is evident to me that the citizens of Tallahasee need to take back the city and elect a brand new commiosion as each one of the commission seats come up. Since most of them are employed elsewhere it isn’t like we would be putting any financial bind on them by getting rid of them. My question is how could they possibly consider citizen imput on the budget on the same night that the suggestions were given to them. Citizens of the city it’s time to stop sitting and take action in the next election.
It’s time some employees were fired and new ones hired.
There is one more little perk these self important people get, and it is at the airport. They all get to park for FREE in special areas while all the city employee have to pay to park to go to work. How do I know this, I see it first hand, I have seen one commissioner (Katz) park his SUV for a week or longer at a time. This has happend several times sense January of this year.
I understand times are hard and will probly get harder before they get any better. But when you tell all your emoploees they won’t get any kind of a raise for at least two years and their checks will be getting smaller. Because, the employee will have to start paying more for their medical, and contribute more toward the retirement plan. Then you read something like this it just really pisses me off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU FOR PUTTING INFO LIKE THIS OUT THERE. I WONDER HOW CAN A NEWSPAPER OR PERIODICAL GET STARTED ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES
Right on, Bob! We need to bombard the Tallahassee Democrat with this stuff. People need to know!
good for you to dig out this foolishness. is the information going to anyone other than subscibers of Tallahassee Reports?
I’m going to forward this to Gobardi. The Democrat (and other media) claim it is too expensive to do investigative journalism but I don’t see why it would be expesive at all to REPORT this investigative journalism.