The pursuit of alternative energy as a source for our power needs has clearly become an important public policy issue. Despite the contentious global warming debate, most people would agree that – all other things being equal – it would be beneficial to get all of our energy from environmentally clean sources. But here lies the problem, all things are not equal. Alternative energy has not […]
Our recent analysis of spending on “green” programs has documented the clear priority of city leadership in achieving the “living green” dream. Green expenditures in the fiscal year 2009 budget include $10 million for smart meters, $7 million for energy conservation, and $300,000 for the creation of the green department. These 3 programs total $17,300,000 in spending in […]
Travel records provided to tallahasseereports.com show that Mayor Marks has increased the travel billed to the city each year over the last three years. During FY 2006, Mr. Marks was on the road for 29 days at a cost of $16,460, in FY 2007 he was on the road 31 days for a cost of $16,731, […]
From the Wall Street Journal: Not everyone thinks smart meters are such a smart use of money. Utilities are spending billions of dollars outfitting homes and businesses with the devices, which wirelessly send information about electricity use to utility billing departments and could help consumers control energy use. Proponents of smart meters say that when […]
There is currently a bill moving through the Florida Legislature called the “Consumer Choice and Protection Act” that will affect consumers in Tallahassee. The name of the bill is disarming and leaves little room for opposition. Who can be against consumer choice and protection? However, when you get past the title and dig a little, an interesting question arises. […]
The City of Tallahassee recently ignored a cost effectiveness analysis which indicated that all 191 proposed measures to save electricity through conservation would increase electric rates. Instead of relying on the analysis as a guide, the City Commission voted to ignore the results and approve an alternative methodology that would allow the City to move forward with conservation […]
The Tallahassee Charter Review Committee has been meeting over the last two months with the charge of reviewing possible changes to the Tallahassee City Charter. Among the issues that have been discussed is a separate regulatory board for the utility functions of the city. After five months of research, including dozens of interviews with city employees and Tallahassee […]
Tallahassee Reports continues to get a number of emails from those affected by the new City of Tallahassee parking program. Most of these emails focus on the fairness issue and the money involved. Click here to see an application for the City Employee Parking program. A review by Tallahassee Reports indicates that one reason the parking […]
In a recent article published by Tallahassee Reports, research indicated that Tallahassee’s reliance on natural gas has cost the people of Tallahassee approximately $40-50 million a year over the last three years when compared to the rates of other utilities in the area. In a meeting on Tuesday, high ranking officials with the Tallahassee Electric Utility […]
A recent article posted by Tallahassee Reports -“The Cost of Green May Cost More ThanYou Think”- reported that the citizens of Tallahassee had paid approximately $45-$50 million a year above what they would have paid over the last three years if Tallahassee would have had the average electric rates of three utilities with a more diverse […]