On September 15, 2010, Commissioners Ziffer, Lightsey, and Gillum joined forces with Mayor John Marks to approve the city’s participation in a $1.6 million federal grant with partners that included the Alliance for Digital Equality (ADE) and The Go Beyond Foundation.
After talking to sources, it has been determined that several documents have been turned over to the FBI because of concern about the relationship between Mayor John Marks and the vendors included in the grant application.
The red light camera program implemented by the City of Tallahassee was promoted as a way to increase safety at dangerous intersections. A recent national study concluded that the program was making intersections safer. Based on this premise, the City began installing red light cameras across the city. Currently there are 17 red light cameras […]
Tallahassee Reports has received a preliminary draft of a COT Audit of the City’s Vendor Incentive Programs. Among the findings is that the Minority Business Enterprise Program “structure and operation is based upon outdated policies and statistics and therefore likely does not comply with United States (U.S.) Supreme Court rulings related to race and gender neutral alternatives.”
Tallahassee Reports has learned that the COT proposed ordinance to register lobbyists will allow lobbyists to secretly communicate with city commissioners and city staff about pending proposals and contracts. The current Leon County ordinance prohibits such communication and requires written correspondence. At the upcoming City of Tallahassee Commission meeting, there will be a public hearing […]
Tallahassee Reports has researched the price of aircraft fuel and found that Tallahassee Regional Airport offers above average fuel prices to its customers. The information was collected from internet websites that provide up-to-date fuel information for every airport in the nation. There are two kinds of aircraft fuel: JET A fuel and 100LL fuel (AvGas). […]
The discussion over the $8 million electric utility surplus over the last few months has seen city commissioners and staff defending the need to deposit the “found” money in the electric reserve which already had approximately $95 million. Rationale for keeping the money has ranged from “its policy” to “its only $34 per residential customer”. […]
The debate about the COT electric utilities reserves is beginning to provide answers, though questions remain. Last Wednesday the COT brought in consultants to provide more information about the appropriate level of the electric reserve. City staff is seeking a reserve level between $119 million and $185 million. The reserve is currently at $105 million. […]
Our recent report on the wealth of the City of Tallahassee electric utility published on January 19, 2011 generated a response from the City of Tallahassee. On Friday, Tallahassee Reports received an email from the City that indicated the report was one sided and should have included a different calculation. The initial report compared the […]
The recent debate on the fate of the $8 million electric utility surplus for 2010 has morphed into a discussion about the proper level of the electric utility reserves. City staff has reported that the current level of the reserve is approximately $100 million, with a staff proposed range of between $119 million and $185 […]
The second to last jobs report of 2010 indicates that unemployment continues to be a problem in Leon County and in Florida. The unemployment rate for Leon County increased from 7.8% in October to 8.7% in November. We started the year with an unemployment rate of 8.5%.
