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 to 4.7 mills.
“At this point, no other issue is more critical to address than the public safety needs of the community,” City Manager Anita Favors Thompson said. “Tallahassee has an extraordinary quality of life. This was not by accident but by careful design, thoughtful decision making and extremely hard work. Though we managed our way through difficult economic times by reducing staff and other expenditures, we must make some different decisions now to maintain the standards that our community expects.”
The additional property tax paid by a homeowner with a $225,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption would be $175 per year. The homeowner’s total city property tax bill would increase from $647.50 to $822.50 per year.
If the recommended budget is implemented, General Fund spending will have increased from $136 million in 2014 to $150 million in 2016. Click here to review General Fund budget.
City Manager Recommends More Police Officers and a $10.8 Million Property Tax Increase added by Staff on
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Can you imagine two expensive, land hogging round-abouts within two blocks on FAMU Way?
Are the inmates [city staff] running the asylum? Commissioners need to step up and take charge; evidently some paring needs to be done – not pay increases!
So, the City Manager requests a 27% property tax hike under the guise of more police officers? There are other means for the provision of more police officers as in fire some city workers that are unnecessary and provide redundant work. Fire the City Manager and the Mayor for starters.
In my mind, there is a difference between infrastructure improvements and social engineering programs. I do not have the information or expertise to judge the value of infrastructure projects, but social engineering, whether from the left or the right, are scams to divert tax dollars to their supporters. TAPP heads my list of programs that need to be immediately de-funded.
There are programs on my list that I agree with their objectives, but there is no way to quantify their effectiveness, so they should excluded from public funding also. If there is not support to pay for these programs from the private sector, they should not funded by the public. But, campaigns have consequences and our political patronage system is in desperate need of an overhaul.
I was told the reason I had to pay 300 bucks for turning right on red at a traffic camera intersection was for public safety.
Now it seems public safety is too expensive and didn’t raise enough money!
Now we need mo money and public safety is paramount again!
The city government is shaking down the citizenry and the quality of life gets worse every year.
The answer is not more money Mrs. Thompson. Its competent leadership. You have to go!
Read my lips NO NEW TAXES! We don’t have time to babysit these people and their spending habits with our tax dollars! If property taxes go up, my house payment goes up. I can’t afford that. I agree with Preston, advocacy/protest movement. I’m in. This is rediculious!
I think Preston Scott would be a good city Manager.
No. No. No. Get rid of a $7,000,000 ‘bridge’ across Monroe St, $8,500,000 for sidewalks and bike lanes on South Magnolia, $26,000,000 for FAMU way and I believe we have it all covered and then some for several years down the road. Just as a heads up, Mark Mustian, when he was a city commissioner, predicted all of this about 8 years ago.
(Same comment I made to a Democrat article)
Last I heard FAMU Way will cost $37,000,000. $37 million to run a road through a black neighborhood, steal land from FAMU for the benefit of FSU, and proclaim the entire diabolical scheme as “the most beautiful road in Tallahassee.”
Curious as to why Dora the Explorer…I mean Anita was not seated at the workshop this morning?
Agree with Preston Scott!! Who can step forward with a strong background in governmental accounting?
Time for early retirement for the City Manager. And NO – we don’t need a plant from Andrew Gillium to take her place!
Why did the City Commissioners cross the road?
So they could spend $7 million on a fancy foot bridge.
AND attend junkets in Denver, Sandestin, and Amelia Island which are really campaign PR events paid for by the taxpayers and facilitated by The Chamber of Commerce.
Only a $7 1/2 million budget increase is needed.
I remember Nancy Miller stating at the February Commission meeting, that the “TAP” Clean Water Initiative, saved tallahassee TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS! Am i missing something ?
TAPP has become a slush fund for her campaign manager, Gary Yordon.
I turn the channel whenever I see that guy spreading poo on his face.
They thought showing a guy wiping his face with a handful of poo would get my support? hahahaha
Whether the City or County…I suggest we attempt to organize some form of advocacy/protest movement until both entities pay for emergency services out of property tax first. Let’s have a good debate over how the rest is spent and on what. Remember – the COT makes money of its citizens with its utility (it should break even) and through waste collection (it received a huge reduction with last contract when the county signed with Waste Pro and has kept the savings and not passed it on to citizens) and by competing with the private sector in a few areas. There needs to be a unified answer: TPD needs help – pay for it (and fire services) with the money the City has already FIRST!
Is there any way you could get vince long on the show to talk about petition for county charter? How can you supposedly be an all American city and have a government completely out of control and out of touch with the people who work in it? The only way to fight this shell game is a county charter.
FYI: The services were drastically reduced when Waste Pro took over. It would have been better to keep the services at the standard county residents received under Waste Management than what residents are now receiving under Waste Pro.
Just another example of poor leadership under Mary Ann Lindley, Kristin Dozier, and Nick Maddox – the new commissioners – and why they don’t deserve to be re-elected and shame on the other senior commissioners, also.
Spot on, Hope.
MAL has never in her life met a tax she couldn’t justify.
How convienent to release after they get back from Denver. All American City my A$$!
Poor management. No “Property Tax Increase” until every single discretionary spending category and item have been”Zero Based” for new fiscal year and necessity and propriety voted on by City Commission. TalTran and public transportation categories and items need to be justified to City Commission item by item.
BINGO!
Absolutely!