City Staff Asks Commissioners to Vote Against Ethics Panel Recommendation on Ethics Officer and Penalties

City Staff Asks Commissioners to Vote Against Ethics Panel Recommendation on Ethics Officer and Penalties

The City of Tallahassee staff will formally ask the City Commissioners to vote against some of the major recommendations made by the Ethics Advisory Panel (EAP) on Wednesday during a City Commission workshop. The Ethics Advisory Panel, made up of nine citizens, including a retired Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court and a former President […]

City Electric Reserves Top $100 Million Once Again

City Electric Reserves Top $100 Million Once Again

The City of Tallahassee recently updated the financials for their operations in the fiscal year 2013 and the budgeted numbers for 2014. One of the items updated was the “Schedule of Reserves.” The “Schedule of Reserves” details the City of Tallahassee policies and reserve level requirements for eleven different funds. Reserves are used to address […]

City and County Spending Take Different Paths

City and County Spending Take Different Paths

Now that both the City and the County has adopted a budget for fiscal year 2014, Tallahassee Reports has acquired the most recent budget documents and developed a table comparing spending trends between the two local governments since 2008. A comparison of the County and City operational spending trends since 2008 are shown in the […]

City of Tallahassee Retains Millions in Garbage Fees, Leon County Passes Savings to Customers

City of Tallahassee Retains Millions in Garbage Fees, Leon County Passes Savings to Customers

An exclusive analysis by Tallahassee Reports of the solid waste contracts negotiated separately by the Leon County Board of County Commissioners and the City of Tallahassee with Waste Pro, Inc. over the last year has revealed two different approaches of dealing with consumers dollars. The County Approach The Board of County Commissioners (BCC) previously had […]

Brew Pub Vote Took Forty-One Seconds, Commissioners Briefed in Private. See Video.

Tallahassee Reports has learned that the vote to allocate an additional $1.3 million for a Brew Pub restaurant in Cascades Park took less than 45 seconds to approve. The Brew Pub project has been under media scrutiny since Tallahassee Reports published an article revealing the expenditure and the involvement of Commissioner Andrew Gillum’s campaign treasurer. […]

Mckibbon Hotel Group Consultant Communicated with Staff Without Registering as a City Lobbyist

Mckibbon Hotel Group Consultant Communicated with Staff Without Registering as a City Lobbyist

Tallahassee Reports has learned that the consultant retained by the Mckibbon Hotel Group (MHG) – who has business before the City Commission – had communications with City staff on MHG issues and was not a registered lobbyist with the City of Tallahassee. Tallahassee Reports requested a list of registered lobbyists on August 16, 2013. Click […]

BREAKING NEWS: City Responds to Tallahassee Reports Article On Cascades Project

BREAKING NEWS: City Responds to Tallahassee Reports Article On Cascades Project

There have been several developments regarding the Cascades Park restaurant project. First,  Commissioner Nancy Miller told Tallahassee Reports via an email late today that she did not know that Andrew Gillum’s treasurer was involved in the project. Second, Tallahassee Reports has learned that since a large portion of the project funds – approximately $800,000 – […]

City Responds to Tallahassee Reports Article On Cascades Project

City Responds to Tallahassee Reports Article On Cascades Project

There have been several developments regarding the Cascades Park restaurant project. First,  Commissioner Nancy Miller told Tallahassee Reports via an email late today that she did not know that Andrew Gillum’s treasurer was involved in the project. Second, Tallahassee Reports has learned that since a large portion of the project funds – approximately $800,000 – […]

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 […]

THE GAS TAX IS BACK

THE GAS TAX IS BACK

Just a couple of weeks ago the Leon Board of County Commissioners voted to approve a 5 cent increase in the gas tax. Based on previous agreements between the City and the County, 50% of the gas tax would have been appropriated to the City of Tallahassee. However, when presented with the gas tax proposal, […]