Since the City Manager informed the City Commission on June 16, 2105, that a 27% increase in property taxes would be needed to balance the General Fund budget and to meet community needs, a spirited debate over the budget has ensued between elected officials, city staff, and number of business groups and interested individuals. The […]
The City’s Ethics Board, during a four hour meeting today, voted to retain the City appointed Ethics Officer, Julie Meadows-Keefe who has been a city employee for almost a year. Ms. Keefe was hired by the City Commission last year. The meeting began with public testimony, which at times was contentious. A number of citizens […]
The steady “drip, drip, drip” of the Hillary Clinton email flap — combined with aggressive spin launched this week by the Clinton campaign — creates confusion about the underlying facts. Is the email controversy a real risk for the Democratic Party front-runner? Or as her campaign suggests, is it part of another well-orchestrated attack by […]
ThrowBackThursday : This article was originally published on November 3, 2014. Today, the City’s Ethics Board will discuss the hiring process for the Ethics Officer position. When the City Attorney and City Auditor filled the in-house ethics officer position last month, they passed on hiring the former General Counsel of the Florida Department of Law […]
Tallahassee Reports has learned that the City of Tallahassee has been transferring unused fees paid by citizens for garbage service to a reserve fund, that as of June of this year, totals $9,026,743. According to budget documents, the reserve fund has increased from $3.9 million in June 2009 to the current level of $9 million. […]
The Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, who reports approximately 1,400 members, held their annual conference this past weekend at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa. The event drew over 500 participants. So, who made the trip? Tallahassee Reports analyzed the attendees list and found that our reputation as a “university town” was reflected by […]
The Chair of the City of Tallahassee Ethics Board, Lila Jaber, asked the recently hired counsel to the Board, Mr. Gerald Currington, “whether the Ethics Board has the discretion to hire an Ethics Officer without advertising.” Noting that the current Ethics Officer was hired under City policies, Mr. Currington wrote “it is my opinion that […]
The recent debate over the proposed 23% property tax increase has overshadowed another double digit increase due to go into effect on October 1. The proposed property tax increase, if adopted, will bring in an additional $8 million annually, beginning October 1. The fire service fee, which is set to increase by 26.9%, will bring […]
It is not surprising that the Tallahassee Democrat’s recent editorial, titled “In Our Opinion: Manufactured Controversy”, minimized the concerns of those who were offended by the recent controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood. What is surprising, and should be alarming to all people in our community, is how the editorial writers botched the facts and provided half-truths […]
Last month we reported the “surge” in the sale of existing homes in Leon county. The good news continues in July. The numbers from July show that 305 homes were sold for an average of $222,000. This is up from a year ago, when 243 homes were sold for an average price of $206,000. This […]