ThrowBackThursday : This article was originally published on November 3, 2014. Today, the City’s Ethics Board will discuss the hiring process for the Ethics Officer position. When the City Attorney and City Auditor filled the in-house ethics officer position last month, they passed on hiring the former General Counsel of the Florida Department of Law […]
Tallahassee Reports has learned that the City of Tallahassee has been transferring unused fees paid by citizens for garbage service to a reserve fund, that as of June of this year, totals $9,026,743. According to budget documents, the reserve fund has increased from $3.9 million in June 2009 to the current level of $9 million. […]
The Chair of the City of Tallahassee Ethics Board, Lila Jaber, asked the recently hired counsel to the Board, Mr. Gerald Currington, “whether the Ethics Board has the discretion to hire an Ethics Officer without advertising.” Noting that the current Ethics Officer was hired under City policies, Mr. Currington wrote “it is my opinion that […]
The recent debate over the proposed 23% property tax increase has overshadowed another double digit increase due to go into effect on October 1. The proposed property tax increase, if adopted, will bring in an additional $8 million annually, beginning October 1. The fire service fee, which is set to increase by 26.9%, will bring […]
It is not surprising that the Tallahassee Democrat’s recent editorial, titled “In Our Opinion: Manufactured Controversy”, minimized the concerns of those who were offended by the recent controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood. What is surprising, and should be alarming to all people in our community, is how the editorial writers botched the facts and provided half-truths […]
Last month we reported the “surge” in the sale of existing homes in Leon county. The good news continues in July. The numbers from July show that 305 homes were sold for an average of $222,000. This is up from a year ago, when 243 homes were sold for an average price of $206,000. This […]
Tallahassee Reports spoke with the City’s appointed Ethics Officer, Julie Meadows-Keefe, about the hiring of a law firm to serve as counsel to the Ethics Board that also does significant business with the City of Tallahassee. Tallahassee Reports wrote about the relationship here. Ms. Meadows-Keefe told Tallahassee Reports that she was aware of the relationship […]
Prime Meridian Bank (Member FDIC), which currently operates two locations in Tallahassee, took the next step towards its expansion into Crawfordville. On August 4, 2015, members of the Prime Meridian team participated in a ground breaking ceremony at the Bank’s Crawfordville Highway site. The event was attended by members of the Wakulla County Chamber of […]
The local budget debate, over the proposed property tax increase, has taken many twist and turns and final approval is still more than a month away. The recent 3-2 vote to tentatively approve a 23% increase in property taxes leaves the door open for more debate. The City has gone to great lengths to justify […]
UPDATE: On July 27, 2015 the Tallahassee Democrat reported “The city of Tallahassee approved a $2.6-million settlement earlier this month. Shelley estimates a net payment of $1.5 to $1.6 million after legal costs.” The City Attorney for Tallahassee, Lew Shelley, contacted Tallahassee Reports late this afternoon and said that the net payment information reported by […]