City manager, TPD chief defend property tax hike as a way to 'attack' violent crime

City Manager Reese Goad defended Tallahassee’s proposed property tax hike before a crowd of business leaders normally skeptical of such measures, saying it’s needed to more effectively fight violent crime.

During a luncheon Tuesday hosted by the Network of Entrepreneurs and Business Advocates, Goad discussed the controversial tax proposal and the city’s ongoing efforts to bring down violent crime numbers.

With Police Chief Lawrence Revell by his side, Goad said the city has seen a “stubborn, sticky rise” in violent crime over recent years. At the same time, he said, police staffing levels have dropped to half the national average.

“We can’t afford to not invest in public safety,” Goad said. “It’s not an option. If we want to be successful as a city, we have to attack it.”

In June, city commissioners signed off 3-2 on a nearly 10% increase in the property tax rate, which would go from $4.10 to $4.50 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. Most of that money, some $9.5 million, is slated to go to the Tallahassee Police Department for the hiring of 20 new officers, higher wages and technology upgrades.

Revell told the audience at the Capital City Country Club that TPD has 373 officers and that based on one FBI formula, it should have north of 600. The number would go to 393 under the city plan.

“What we know for a fact and despite some of the other rhetoric that you’ve heard is 20 officers will make a difference,” the chief said. “If somebody’s trying to break into your business and a police officer pulls into your parking lot, they’re likely not going to commit that crime. Police presence makes a huge difference.”

In June, Mayor John Dailey and Commissioners Dianne Williams-Cox and Curtis Richardson, a NEBA member who attended the luncheon, voted in favor of the tax increase, all citing a need for greater public safety. Commissioners Jack Porter and Jeremy Matlow, who called for greater belt-tightening instead, voted no.

On Monday, other opponents, including Dot Inman-Johnson, a former city commissioner who’s running against Richardson in 2024, spoke out during a news conference. It was held by the Frenchtown-Southside Community Action Committee, which the Rev. Lee Johnson, Inman-Johnson’s husband, founded in 2018.

Their remarks were prompted in part by comments Dailey, Richardson and Williams-Cox made in a Democrat article about a recent spate of fatal shootings. Richardson said the problem was “far beyond” what government could solve on its own; Dailey pointed to current efforts and long-term fixes; and Williams-Cox asked “what can government do?” when someone decides to take a life.

“In such an atmosphere, the kind of quotes attributed to Commissioners Williams-Cox and Richardson and Mayor Dailey are not what residents want to hear,” Inman-Johnson said.

Violent crime ticked up starting in 2020 but is down so far this year

Violent crime in Tallahassee began trending up a few years ago, and city officials expect it to remain elevated above previous levels this year. Incidents of violent crime rose from 1,359 in FY 2019 to 1,466 in FY 2020 and 1,628 in FY 2021 before leveling off to 1,612 last fiscal year. That’s a nearly 19% jump over the four year-period.

Goad told NEBA members that the city had made progress on violent crime until the pandemic hit and numbers rose here and nationally. He said the numbers have since “plateaued," but that another increase this year was possible.

“It didn’t go up like a five-alarm fire,” he said, “but it went up, and it’s going in the wrong direction.”

The city's online dashboard for its strategic plan shows 941 instances of violent crime so far this fiscal year. However, Goad said that number is not accurate because of lag time and a final validation process for reporting purposes. TPD is projecting numbers similar to last year and perhaps slightly higher, he said.

Revell said officers spend nearly all their time going from call to call and that “appropriate staffing” would allow TPD to bring back programs that have been cut or put on hold. He noted the department once had four bicycle squads and two violent crime response squads but now has only one of each.

“The reason we’ve had to do that is because we’ve had to take those specialty squads and put those people on patrol so they can simply answer the calls for service,” he said.

The chief touted coming innovations, including a program soon to launch that would allow police to access home and business cameras — though only with the permission of the owners and when warranted. He bragged that it was the second oldest police department in the country that’s been recognized as having a top homicide unit.

“So I hope you understand the level of service, which your police department provides to you every day,” he said. “And that’s all on the back of the men and women who do the work every day. They perform it, and they’re incredible.”

City commissioners will hold public hearings on the proposed tax increase on Sept. 13 and 27.

Tallahassee Democrat reporter Elena Barrera contributed to this article. Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee city manager, TPD chief defend tax hike to 'attack' crime