Stand Your Ground Votes May Surprise You

Florida’s Stand Your Ground law has become the national, state and local focus of the debate centering around the Zimmerman trial. National civil rights figures are calling for an economic boycott of Florida, and students are peacefully occupying the Governor’s office and demanding a special session to repeal the Stand Your Ground law. Here locally, […]

City Employee Pension Costs are a Silent Budget Killer

City Employee Pension Costs are a Silent Budget Killer

The City Commission has avoided raising property taxes this year and instead has relied on an increase in the gas tax and one time transfers from reserve funds to reach a balanced budget. The recent workshops on the City’s budget have revealed that one of the major dynamics driving the $5 million general deficit this year […]

BREAKING NEWS: NO PROPERTY TAX, BUT GAS TAX WILL FUND STAR METRO

BREAKING NEWS: NO PROPERTY TAX, BUT GAS TAX WILL FUND STAR METRO

The City Commission has just voted not to raise the City’s property tax. In a motion moved by Commissioner Gil Ziffer, the Commission voted 5-0 to keep the property tax at the current rate of 3.70 mills. However, the City will receive an additional $2 million in revenue from the 5 cents increase in the […]

BREAKING NEWS: Sunil Harman, City Airport Director, Resigns

In a press release, posted just before the July 4th holiday, the City of Tallahassee formally acknowledged the resignation of Sunil Harman, the City’s Airport Director. Harman submitted his resignation on June 27, 2013 to take the Airport Director position in Okaloosa County. There was no reason given for his departure. Harman had been widely credited for […]

Sunil Harman, City Airport Director, Resigns

Sunil Harman, City Airport Director, Resigns

In a press release, posted just before the July 4th holiday, the City of Tallahassee formally acknowledged the resignation of Sunil Harman, the City’s Airport Director. Harman submitted his resignation on June 27, 2013 to take the Airport Director position in Okaloosa County. There was no reason given for his departure. Harman had been widely credited for […]

Is City Staff Gaming the City Commission?

Tallahassee Reports has obtained information that indicates that the document prepared and distributed to City Commissioners during the last budget workshop appears to be misleading in representing that City spending has been on a downward trend since 2008. In fact, the opposite appears to be the case. At the City of Tallahassee’s budget workshop on […]

City of Tallahassee Budget Debate Begins

City Manager Anita Favors Thompson presented her proposed budget for fiscal year 2014 to the City Commission on Wednesday. The preliminary $854 million budget included a General Fund deficit, but the final proposal addressed the deficit through a $2.3 million property tax increase, a $2 million increase in the electric utility transfer, and a $3 […]

BREAKING NEWS: CITY STAFF PROPOSES INCREASE IN PROPERTY TAXES AND ELECTRIC UTILITY TRANSFER

BREAKING NEWS: CITY STAFF PROPOSES INCREASE IN PROPERTY TAXES AND ELECTRIC UTILITY TRANSFER

Just last month, Raoul Lavin of the City’s budget office, provided the first glimpse of the 2014 budget. His presentation focused only on the General Fund, which finances core city services, and indicated an upcoming deficit of approximately $5 million. Yesterday, City Manager Anita Favors Thompson released her recommended 2014 (FY14) budget for review by […]

Frustration Boils Over At CRA Meeting, Policy Goals Finally Adopted

Frustration Boils Over At CRA Meeting, Policy Goals Finally Adopted

The Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board finally voted to accept five broad policy goals, but not before frustration among some members boiled over. City Commissioner Scott Maddox, visibly frustrated, said, “it is hard for me to imagine a more confusing process. This is absurd and ridiculous! There have been six hours of meetings and we […]

Blueprint Committee Approves Projects, Votes Down Performing Arts Center

The Leon County Sales Tax Committee met today to begin the tough task of deciding which projects will be considered for the approximately $500 million in funding if the sales tax referendum is passed by voters. The whittling down process began by identifying the projects that had unanimous support by the committee. The members unanimously […]