In a public hearing that started at approximately 6:30 pm and lasted past 10:30 pm, 50 speakers let their voice be heard on Wednesday night at City Hall. After patiently listening to all who asked to speak, the Tallahassee City Commission voted 4-1 to approve a tentative 13% increase in the city’s property tax increase. […]
Current Chairman of the City’s newly formed independent Ethics Board, Lila Jaber, failed to disclose a business relationship between her law firm, Gunster, and the City of Tallahassee when she applied to be the City’s appointment to the Board. Also, Ms. Jaber is listed as the the vice-chair of the Big Bend Minority Chamber of […]
Being a stones throw away from the state capital does not seem to have an impact on state lobbying expenses for the City of Tallahassee. Tallahassee Reports, prompted by the revelation that the City of Tallahassee is seeking an additional $40,000 for lobbying contracts in this years budget, gathered information from other local governments about […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
If your daily travels have taken you up and down North Monroe street over the last six months, you no doubt have noticed the activities taking place with the redevelopment of the Tallahassee Mall. However, as of late, a new structure is rising up and is helping to redefine the skyline in that area of […]
When City Manager Anita Favors released her proposed budget last month for FY 2016, which includes a 27% increase in property taxes, her press release called the proposal a “public safety budget.” The press release detailed the increase in positions for public safety and also mentioned the $500,000 allocated for street resurfacing. However, one item […]
On the eve of a crucial budget hearing, high level City of Tallahassee officials requested a meeting with police union members (PBA) to seek their public endorsement of the proposed 27% increase in property taxes. Sources tell TR that the PBA, after the meeting, declined to publicly endorse the tax increase, and instead, will remain […]
The City of Tallahassee released construction data for May 2015. The numbers show that single-family construction continues to slow. The chart below shows that the 12 month total number of permits fell for the second month in a row. The last time this happened was in May and June of 2014. Since April 2015 the […]