Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn presented his $765 budget to the City Council today, a budget that he was happily able to present without any jobs being cut or taxes being raised.
"It’s a difficult time for every municipality and every jurisdiction," he began. "We are better off than most, but we still have to face our challenges," he said of balancing a budget that had been $34.7 million in deficit.
Buckhorn began his presentation by asking his various department heads who were all in the council chambers sitting behind him to stand up and take a bow. He gave thanks to his finance director, Sonya Little, but reserved his greatest praise for the woman he succeeded, former Mayor Pam Iorio, specifically for her fiscal acumen, which saw the city's financial reserves expand from $20 million when she took office in 2003, to $120 million when she stepped down earlier this year.
This article appears in Jul 28 – Aug 3, 2011.