When the city commission voted to create the Ethics Advisory Panel, they asked the committee to evaluate existing policies or procedures governing ethics, financial disclosure, or transparency of the city government, and prepare and submit a report including any amendments to current policy. Based on today’s meeting, there will be major amendments to current policy. The meeting […]
At the City Commission meeting this week, city staff will provide commissioners with their first budget update for the 2014 cycle. The update will provide information on how the budget for 2013 is matching up with actual spending and a forecast of the 2014 General Fund. Information for the other funds, including electric and gas, […]
Tallahassee Reports has been told by city staff that a portion of audio recording from the March 26th Ethics Advisory Panel meeting was accidentally deleted. One of the major issues addressed at that meeting was if the oversight process for a new ethics code would be handled by the city attorney’s office, as is the […]
Tallahassee Reports has obtained a copy of the The Leon County Sales Tax Committee project list with associated priorities and costs. On April 26, the committee took votes that determined the priorities for monies raised by the infrastructure sales tax known as Blueprint. The committee’s objective is to collect public input and make recommendations regarding […]
A lot happened at the CRA Board meeting today. The CRA Board voted to spend almost $200,000 on leasing parking spaces near the Gaines Street corridor and a consultant that will offer a strategic assessment of downtown Tallahassee. The CRA staff said that the parking places would help “support retail development” in the area. Mayor […]
The City of Tallahassee (COT) began installing red light cameras in August of 2010. Like many local governments across Florida and the US, Tallahassee turned to the cameras in the name of safety. But from the beginning, there have been those who have argued that the program violates due process and is designed to turn […]
Since October 1, 2012, the City’s Ethics Advisory Panel has held eleven meetings. The panel’s research includes gathering information from around the state on how other cities address ethics, listening to testimony from citizens, former city commissioners, and the former Executive Director of the Florida Commission on Ethics. The ultimate goal of the panel is […]
The recent controversy about sales tax exemptions for certain citizens and businesses will be addressed by the City of Tallahassee in two different venues this week. First, on Tuesday, the issue is on the agenda of the Citizens Advisory Committee on utilities under the heading of “Overview of the Residential Usage Florida Sales Tax Exemption […]
The City of Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has spent or committed over $27 million to redevelopment activities in two sections of town and the majority of this money has been spent in the last four years. Under Florida law (Chapter 163, Part III), local governments are able to designate areas as community redevelopment areas […]
The Leon County Grand Jury released a report on March 13, 2013 addressing a January 12, 2013 incident in which two subjects shot at an unmarked police vehicle driven by a Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) officer. The Grand Jury recommended that the State Attorney prosecute the two persons that shot at the police officer and […]