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Tallahassee ethics officer unveils online training, reports budget rise and progress on campaign-refund outreach
Summary
At its Nov. 17 meeting, the City of Tallahassee Ethics Board heard an operations report from Ethics Officer Blake on an online ethics/open-government course for advisory members, an uptick in campaign-refund signups, and a reported budget increase to roughly $525,000.
Blake, the city’s ethics officer, told the City of Tallahassee Ethics Board on Nov. 17 that staff completed development of a new online ethics course for advisory-board members and are combining it with instruction on the Sunshine Law and public-records responsibilities. "It should take you about 30 minutes to go through it," Blake said, and he asked board members to test the module and provide feedback.
The online course will include adaptive-learning features to tailor material for different roles — for example, tracks for leadership and ethical decision-making — and will be available to new appointees so they can complete training before their first meeting. Tasker Leverson Green, the board’s administrative specialist, led production of video and course elements cited by Blake.
Blake also reported outreach results for the campaign-contribution refund program, saying the effort has generated roughly 44 responses so far and that targeted boosts on social media were a low-cost option. "We're learning how to get the message out," he said, noting the board spent modest amounts (Facebook boosts and subscription fees) and estimated voluntary promotional expenses were under $4,000 for the month.
On finances, Blake described an increase in the board's budget compared with the prior year. He said the prior allotment was "400 and some thousand" and that "this year is 525" as reported to the board; the transcript does not specify units, so staff characterized that as approximately $525,000. Blake noted internal-service reallocations (including vehicle-replacement charges) that affect accounting lines but said the money is not truly being removed from the board's allotment. "We've already spent about $40,000," he said in describing current fiscal-year expenditures.
Blake reminded members that the board placed two recommendations in the City Commission agenda for the next day (one on covered individuals, another on employees doing business with the city) and that he and a colleague planned to present the annual report. He also noted travel plans to attend a January conference in Naples.
On complaints, Blake summarized recent referrals where callers alleged the Tallahassee Police Department had not followed up on burglaries and identity-theft reports; he said the board referred one matter to TPD Internal Affairs and suggested legal services to a caller, and emphasized the board’s limited jurisdiction in criminal-investigation matters.
The board is scheduled to give the City Commission its printed annual report and recommendations at the commission meeting the following day; Blake said staff will "give it our best effort" but that the commission retains decision authority.
What happens next: board members were asked to complete and comment on the online course, and Blake and staff will present the annual report and recommendations to the City Commission at its next meeting.
