From WFSU
The organization that represents the Capital City’s business community is urging the consolidation of City and County governments as a possible solution to crime and corruption.
Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Heidi Otway said the question first came up back in May when a Tallahassee delegation visited Nashville.
“One of the topics that they all brought up is one of the solutions that allowed Nashville to move forward was consolidation,” she said.
Since then, the FBI has begun an investigation into area development, violent crime is up and resident confidence in local government is down.
“It really forced us as a chamber to rethink and bring back up that conversation about (whether) consolidation is a potential solution,” she added.
The Chamber Board voted unanimously on Tuesday (10/31) to commission an independent study on the possible merging of city and county government. It’s expected to be done in mid-January. Voters in both Tallahassee and unincorporated Leon County have rejected multiple referenda on consolidation over the years.
