TALLAHASSEE, Florida. August 19, 2020 (WCTV) — The City of Tallahassee is looking into pushing back major construction and adjusting fees to keep the fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2021 budgets balanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. City Manager Reese Goad began Wednesday afternoon’s budget meeting by acknowledging the difficulty of balancing the budget; he and other City staff members are hoping things could turn around in the first quarter of FY21.
The City is looking at about $21 million of lost revenue. City Commissioner Curtis Richardson commended City staff for keeping the budget balanced. No City employees will be furloughed or laid off under the current plan; the City has created opportunities for a one-time $1,000 bonus for some employees, a reduction in employee health care contribution costs, and an option to buy back leave in FY20.
“That has happened largely because of decisions that were made in the past that have now proven to be far-sighted,” said Richardson. “At the same time, we’re making a commitment to maintain our current staffing level, the level and quality of services that our citizens have come to expect, and to monetarily reward those who are on the front lines.”
The meeting included an overview of the Capital Projects planned for the next few years, which includes major infrastructure work. Commissioners will consider pushing back the start of construction on the new public safety campus at the Northwood Centre (serving as TPD’s new headquarters) and the Tallahassee International Airport’s customs facility to 2022. Another change residents might notice in the proposed budget: A change in parking fees and tickets.
City staff say the citation amounts have not been updated in years; they say many people opt to just pay the parking ticket instead of moving their vehicles. The City says this is a problem because it leads to less turnover of the space, and in turn, less revenue for the City and businesses. There will be one public hearing on the budget on September 9 and another on September 23.
