Archive for September, 2009
How Many Aides Do COT Commissioners Have?
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 four budgeted positions. However, that number includes the Mayor. So for 2010 the Mayor has 3 aides. In 2008 he had 3.5 aides.
The expenditures for the Office of the Mayor in 2008 was $689,000, in 2009 the estimated expenditures is $573,000, and the budgeted amount in 2010 is $592,000.
The other four commissioners each have one aide. The 2010 budget for the part-time commissioners’ offices is $161,000, except for City Commissioner seat #1, which is $12,000 less at $149,000. This seat is occupied by Mark Mustian.
2 Comments Tags: city commission, expenditures, Mark Mustian, Mayor Marks, Tallahassee
COT Clarifies Use of Reserves
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 of the fund are limited to four categories. Each category has a minimum and maximum target level. They are as follows: Rate stabilization ($23-$50 million), Future Generation Needs ($37-$74 million), Retirement of Debt ($62-$116 million) and Fuel Hedging Program ($30 million).
No Comments Tags: city commission, Fuel Hedging, Raoul Lavin, rate stabilization, rate studies, Tallahassee
Questions About Assistant City Manager Answers
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. Lavin said:
“It is my understanding that this came up as part of a charter review commission discussion about commissioner salaries and benefits and after that it was brought forward to the commission in a publicly noticed meeting[...]”
No Comments Tags: Assistant City Manager, budget, city charter, city commission, electric fund, general fund, Long Term Rate Stabilization, Preston Scott, Raul Lavin, Schedule of Reserve Fund, Tallahassee, The Morning Show
COT Reserve Funds Exceeds $172 Million
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, Gas Fund, Water Fund, Sewer Fund, Airport Fund, and Solid Waste Fund.
3 Comments Tags: airport fund, budget, city commission, electric fund, Gainesville Regional Utility, gas fund, general fund, rate stabilization, reserve accounts, sewer fund, solid waste fund, Tallahassee, water fund
