During a recent public hearing on the COT budget, a number of citizens criticized Mayor Marks for having four aides. Each time a citizen leveled the charge, Mayor Marks shook his head as to say no that is not the case. A quick perusal of the budget for the Office of the Mayor indicates there are […]
Tallahassee Reports has written about the $172 million in reserve funds the City of Tallahassee has tucked away. Part of the $172 million includes approximately $95 million in a “rate stabilization fund.” During an informative discussion with Assistant City Manager Raoul Lavin, he detailed the parameters regulating the use of the rate stabilization fund. The uses […]
On Tuesday, September 8th, Assistant City Manager Raul Lavin addressed several issues on The Morning Show with Preston Scott. Research by Tallahassee Reports indicates that answers given by Mr. Lavin on the deferred compensation and the electric utility reserve funds are not consistent with information contained in publicly available documents. Deferred Compensation On the deferred compensation, Mr. […]
With the Tallahassee City Commission taking a serious look at raising taxes and cutting services, Tallahassee Reports – and a number of other interested citizens – have begun to dig into the proposed 2010 budget. Tallahassee Reports has focused its analysis on the City’s “Reserve Accounts.” The City has reserve accounts for the General Fund, Electric Fund, […]
Data from a public record request submitted by tallahasseereports.com to the City of Gainesville indicates that there is a significant disparity between the cash benefits of the elected leaders in Gainesville and Tallahassee. The City of Gainesville has a Mayor and six City Commissioners who work part-time. The Mayor makes $39,000 a year and the […]
The ongoing investigation by Tallahassee Reports into the April 13, 2005 vote that increased City Commissioner compensation by approximately $21,000 continues to uncover new details. Discussions with city officials has revealed that the initial report that the elected officials received employer paid deferred compensation and that appointed officials received employee paid compensation was incorrect. In fact, both the appointed […]
The research into the deferred compensation issue continues to reveal new information. Today, Commissioner Mark Mustian, the only Commissioner that voted against the measure, stated the following: I saw the deferred compensation as an increase in salary and my view was that is was something that needed to be addressed in the City Charter. Further research has […]
The investigation and research into the April 13, 2005 vote by the City Commission, which resulted in an approximate increase of $22,000 in City Commissioner compensation, continues to reveal new details and raise troubling questions. Tallahassee Reports has learned that the elected City Commissioners are the only city employees who receive employer paid deferred compensation. The benefit afforded […]
A data request submitted by Tallahassee Reports, and quick turn-around from city officials, have led to detailed information on how the City Commissioners obtained an employer paid deferred compensation benefit on the order of $20,000 a year. This is what we know: The benefit was passed on April 13, 2005 by a 4-1 one vote. Those […]
A tip from a frequent reader of this site, followed by a public data request, has revealed interesting information about the benefits that Tallahassee City Commissioners receive for their public service. The salary of City Commissioners has been discussed in public for many years. Since the installation of the full-time Mayor position, the salary of the […]