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%.
A public records request by Tallahassee Reports indicates that Tallahassee City Commissioners did not have much time to consider options with respect to the $8 million electric utility surplus before their vote on December 8, 2010.
Tallahassee Reports has reached out to a number of elected leaders over the last couple of days to get their reaction to the City Commission’s vote to keep the $8 million year end surplus generated by the electric utility.
On December 8, 2010, the City Commission was presented with the final numbers for the fiscal year 2010 city expenditures. Unreported to the community by any media outlet was that the city commission would be deciding the fate of an $8 million surplus in the electric utility fund.
An investigation by Tallahassee Reports has revealed that, unlike the City of Tallahassee, most major municipalities in the state of Florida require city lobbyist to register and provide detailed information about their activities.
There is no doubt that the south side of Tallahassee needs economic revitalization.
I have agreed for a long time that it makes perfect sense to move the current Fairgrounds to a new site and to redevelop the existing site on south Monroe Street .
Now that the dust has settled and the local elections are in the rear view mirror, its time for some analysis of what happened and why. This story is about two incumbents – County Commissioner Cliff Thaell and Mayor John Marks – who were challenged by two political newcomers.
Tallahassee Reports investigated how much money each of the five largest cities in Florida with municipal owned electric utilities chose to invest in smart meters. In addition to Tallahassee, we gathered information on Jacksonville, Orlando, Gainesville, and Lakeland.
At the Nov. 9, 2010 Leon County Commission meeting, the issue of a Citizen’s Advisory Board for utilities will once again be addressed. At issue is the city’s response to the county’s proposal to create a citizens board through a charter amendment.
If the City of Tallahassee is serious about trying to create a 18 hour downtown, having more elections would seem to be a great way to accomplish the goal. Too bad then, that Amendment 4 was soundly defeated. The so called “Hometown Democracy” Amendment would have required a vote every time a comp plan was amended, meaning more votes, and more importantly to the City, more election night parties.