News & Public Affairs
Hillsborough eyes communications department budget
06/11/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Hillsborough County, Budget, Taxes, Media
Members of the Hillsborough County Commission today proposed eliminating the Government Television station.
The board is looking at ways to offset $87 million in lost revenue from property tax changes and a slowing economy. The idea of dismantling or severely diminishing the county’s Communications Department, which currently has a budget slightly less than $4 million, was first on the workshop agenda.
Commissioner Mark Sharpe said he wanted the county’s television station to be more dy...
Be the first to commentHillsborough loses $87-million in taxes listen
06/04/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Hillsborough County, Budget, Taxes
Hillsborough County Administrator Pat Bean said today that a lower tax base and reductions in sales taxes will cut the County’s revenues for the next fiscal year by $87-million.
Bean spoke to County Commissioners today, a day before they will seriously examine the budget in a workshop. She said the housing crisis lowered property taxes, but the main reduction came from the implementation of Amendment 1, which roughly doubled the amount of each home’s value exempted from property taxes, and...
Be the first to commentUnion officials uneasy about USF budget cuts listen
05/29/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
In recent weeks we’ve reported on the mandated budget cuts at some of Florida’s top Universities, particularly at USF and USF- St. Pete.
Last week, USF President Judy Genshaft said there would be 450 positions cut, but only 70 people or so would actually lose their jobs because those other positions hadn’t been filled.
Bill McClellan, president of Local 3342 AFSCME, told WMNF that much of his rank and file are working under the fear that they too may not have much job security at USF. ...
Be the first to commentThe Tax Cut Myth
05/21/08 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Wednesday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: budget cuts, budget, debt credit cards, education, taxes
Ever since the Reagan presidency, tax cuts have become an article of faith for conservatives. According to conservative economists, tax cuts, especially for the wealthy, increase the capital available for investment, expand the economy and the benefits eventually reach the wider population.
Our guests have studied the federal tax cuts given to taxpayers during the last 27 years, and they have arrived at some interesting conclusions. One of which is that George Bush’s tax cuts have put the...
Be the first to commentHouse Committee passes health care bill listen
04/22/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Legislature, Budget, Health Care
In Tallahassee, a plan to provide health insurance for children with autism and other development disabilities was passed by a committee in the state House.
A new program to increase insurance availability and other services for children with autism and other developmental disabilities passed through its first House committee . The plan would also expand to cover speech, behavioral and other therapies for children with developmental disabilities like autism, mental retardation and cerebr...
Be the first to commentHouse Minority Leader blasts Republican budget plans listen
03/28/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Legislature, Budget
As the Florida Legislature copes with a $2½-billion deficit, lawmakers have proposed slashing $1-billion out of the Human Services budget.
Among the programs on the cutting list include $170-million from the Medically Needy program, which pays medical bills for people in need of transplants or who have catastrophic illness and cannot qualify for Mediciaid.
Also on the chopping block would be plans to end vision, hearing and dental care for 46,000 seniors covered by Medicaid, and elimin...
Be the first to commentSuggestion on cutting budget draws fire listen
03/20/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tampa City Councilman Thomas Scott appeared to be an army of one this afternoon when he said he hoped the city could investigate a memo by a Tampa police official that said the city could save $6 million in salaries and other benefits by cutting 15 positions within the Police Department.
The memo was sent by Tampa police Sgt. Borthland Murray last month to the Council. A followup memo by Police Chief Stephen Hogue categorized Murray’s claim as "wildly inaccurate.”
Laura McElroy, a spok...
Be the first to commentWill Tampa raise solid waste fees?
03/05/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio met with City Council members this morning to brief them on four of the city’s Enterprise Funds. They agreed to discuss a proposal by the Iorio administration that would raise fees for solid waste collection at tomorrow’s City Council.
The increased fees may be necessary because, according to Steve Daignault, Tampa’s administrator of Public Works and Utility Services, without any changes, revenue for the Solid Waste Department will dip below expenditures beginning thi...
Be the first to commentTampa City Council wants budget analyst listen
02/28/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
As the city of Tampa tries to cope with reduced funding and more possible staff cuts, the City Council today took the first step toward hiring its own budget analyst.
City Councilman Tom Scott led off the discussion with a motion. Other Council members quickly endorsed Scott’s motion. They all praised the mayor’s budget analyst, Bonnie Wise, but Council member Linda Saul-Sena said they didn’t want to tax her resources.
But such a sentiment wasn’t unanimous. Councilman Charlie Miranda s...
Be the first to commentIorio meets with City Council on budget listen
02/13/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Tampa, Pam Iorio, Mary Mulhern, John Dingfelder, Linda Saul-Sena, Tampa City Council, Amendment 1, taxes, budget
Today Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio briefed members of the City Council about budget concerns resulting from Amendment 1.
The property tax cut approved last month by Florida voters will greatly reduce revenues for local governments. In the meeting at City Hall, Iorio said the city projects collecting $4.1-million less in property tax in 2009. That would result in a $16.8-million difference between total revenues and total expenditures.
Iorio proposed making up $3.4 million of that deficit with ...
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