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Transparency In Question: Century Council Approves Budget After Shutting Out Public Review
September 5, 2024
Tuesday night, the Century town council approved a tentative $10.6 million budget for the next fiscal year, and NorthEscambia.com was forced to publish a story without complete details after our records request was ignored and complete budget was not made available to the public before the vote. That led to the media and at least one citizen questioning the town’s transparency in the budget process. We later obtained the complete budget document Wednesday afternoon (more on that later).
Since August 30, NorthEscambia.com has asked for a copy of the complete tentative budget for 2024-2025, which provides details supporting the income and expenditures in a one-page summary that the town sent us (pictured below). We later learned the complete budget is a 19-page document with great detail on how they arrived at the budget, plus a 3-year historical comparison. The town only provided a summary (pictured left, click to enlarge).
On August 30, when Century administrative assistant Mallory Walker emailed a public notice for Tuesday’s night’s budget meeting, NorthEscambiac.com sent a reply minutes later stating, “Thank you. Please provide a copy of the complete budget and the millage rate info.” We received a one page “Consolidated Budget Summary”. We replied a few minutes later “Please provide the COMPLETE tentative budget, not just the summary”. No response was received.
We attempted to obtain the complete budget again, sending another email separate from the previous thread in case the reply was accidentally overlooked. On August 30, we emailed Walker and Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. stating, “Sending this as a breakout email with a separate subject line in case you didn’t see my response question on the thread earlier today: Please provide the COMPLETE tentative budget, not just the summary.” Again, no response.
When we asked at the meeting, we were told by council members that they had received a copy of the complete budget before the vote. The complete budget was not available to the public at the meeting or on the town’s website.
“Why was there no copy available to the public before tonight? You’re approving numbers. The public has no idea what you’re approving,” NorthEscambia.com Publisher William Reynolds asked during the meeting.
Century administrative assistant Mallory Walker (pictured left) told the council that we didn’t make a public records request.
“He did not state it was a public records request,” she told the council. “He was provided with a summary.”
The subject line of the email we sent Walker was “Budget PRR” — PRR in the world of government is used commonly as shorthand for “Public Records Request”. Our records show dozens of emails to previous town clerks in Century that included “PRR” in the subject line and responses from the town.
No response was received to the August 30 email.
Florida’s Sunshine Law has no requirement that anyone requesting a record make any statement that it is a public records request, nor that the request be in person or in writing.
“We gave a complete budget summary and everything else we had the time. He sent an email back that said I want a complete budget.” Gomez stated, referencing the email above. “And we had sent him everything we had, and the council was issued a complete budget.” NorthEscambia.com questioned Gomez about how the council received a “complete budget” that did not exist, according to his statement.
“Y’all have everything y’all need to complete this business tonight,” Gomez told the council.
“The budget, you don’t give that out,” Century resident Emma Fletcher asked the mayor later in the meeting.
“I have him everything that we had,” Gomez responded, to which she replied, “you don’t have an itemized copy?”
“The council has everything they need to get this tentative budget passed tonight,” the mayor stated.
“You don’t give it out to the public. I mean some records,” she stated. Gomez interjected, “Did you do a records request?” Fletcher replied, “So i I’ll ask for a records request, I’ll get an itemized copy?”
During the public form, NorthEscambia.com again questioned why the town did not provide a complete budget in response to our asking if it was sent to the council members prior to the meeting.
“
Say whatever you want to say, I told you everting we had, you go,” Gomez (pictured left) said.
“For the record, Mr. Reynolds, we don’t have all day to sit there and cater to your shenanigans,” Gomez stated to NorthEscambia.com publisher William Reynolds. “Yes, that’s what it is, shenanigans.”
The Florida Government in the Sunshine manual states: “Accordingly, in the absence of a statutory exemption, a custodian must produce the records requested regardless of the number of records involved or possible inconvenience.”
Most, if not all, of the public records requests made to the town of Century this year by NorthEscambia.com have been for documents directly discussed or voted on by the town council that were not made available to the public prior to the meeting.
“But you’re going to get…you are going to stop,” Gomez said as he accosted Reynolds in the town hall lobby after Tuesday night’s meeting (pictured top).
Early Tuesday morning, we published the story Century Approves Tax Rate, $10.6 Million Budget But Details Shrouded In Mystery. The story was published without complete budget details because that information was not made available gtom the town.
Wednesday, NorthEscambia.com again requested (email below) a copy of the complete budget and an additional document. Both items were emailed to us about one and a half hours later.
We will analyze the complete budget and provide an update in an upcoming story on NorthEscambia.com.
NorthEscambia.com photos and images, click to enlarge.
Comments
26 Responses to “Transparency In Question: Century Council Approves Budget After Shutting Out Public Review”
Century should have had its charter as a city revoked a long time ago. The place is a disaster and has been for a long time. The State of FL needs to get involved.
Its apparent to me that there is more than a little bit of corruption here. I think it is long past time to revoke the charter for this town and I do think maybe the state attorney and a grand jury need to look at this operation. They do not seem to be in compliance with the sunshine law for starters.
Ms. Saltzman, where are you?
I do not believe that Mr. Gomez possesses the intellect required to fully fulfill the job requirements necessary of a Mayor. It would be interesting to see his list of qualifications and education.
Great work William and staff. Thanks for keeping us in the loop
LOL, William is a thorn in Gomez’s side by just asking legal questions in a legal fashion. I can’t believe that a complete audit of bank statements and expenditures would not reveal where the bank accounts are bleeding out from
Just look at the pictures of everyone in this article. Show me one that looks like they know anything about running a city and coming up with a $10.6 million budget. the most incompetent bunch I have ever seen.
And I wish Gomez would threaten me. He wouldn’t want to be in the spotlight after I
promise you
Calling Rep Salzman, Calling Rep Salzman.
I think everyone should get a copy of the proposed budget. It’s very easy to make a public records request. I’m tired of Gomez’s shenanigans!!
https://www.townofcenturyflorida.com/email-contact/node/1341/field_email
Tiffany Henyard-Here’s your next city!
darkness hates light. corruption hates what is right.
Dum da dum dum…and the beat goes on until someone with authority stops them. This Town could be a beautiful community instead, it’s on its way to a bankrupt ghost town.
What are they hiding and why? Is it just incompetence on their part? Lack of knowledge regarding public records?
It’s like the current administration in DC. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain, look what shiny toy we have for you over here.
Running a small town government like this is a cancer. It spreads to other small charters. It’s the state’s responsibility to oversee these charters. Let this continue and we will turn into blue state. I believe state reps are tip-toeing because of race. The people of Century deserve better.
Nothing is going to be done, for fear of being called racists. This group has already thrown out the race card once. At best, they might get fined a couple hundred dollars each. When they’re done fleecing all they can get, the county will step in. And use the county taxpayers money to bail out this mess.
Why would the county want to take on this fiasco? Things are sometimes not done intentionally as to draw attention away from other smoke and mirror tactics of their own.
Has it occurred to anyone else that these people are totally incompetent??? Only to take and keep for self!! Who can’t see this ? Something is wrong bad wrong !!!
It’s not going to stop and the state or county don’t want to step in the crapp either. This has been going on since Benny Barnes was mayor I worked out there I seen what went on and it’s still just as bad or worse
The state needs to step in! Get rid of all of them! They are all crooked and not in it for the right reasons! We have terrible water, pot holes and bad streets and lot of cleaning up needs to be done and the town doesn’t allow Code Enforcement to come around. I mean come on people grow up, put your big boy panties on and get the proper people/departments from the state or county level to take over. This has gone on way too long!!!! The whole group of them are crooked as hell!!!
This is not an issue only affecting Century, it is happening in small towns, and probably some larger ones, all over the country. They learn all the tricks; the public record request reply, thuggery, hiring of consultants, etc at the conferences and conventions the taxpayers pay them to go to every year. Be assured, there may not be a talk on corruption but there are indeed private meetings on how to fleece the Cities they run.
But this has gone on long enough. Broxson and Salzman need to be on the phone to the Florida AG office who need to be opening investigations into the City’ operations and accounting with the ulimate goal of rescinding the City’s charter and returning the area to County rule.
Time to go to the State Attorney’s Office. Gomez is feeling untouchable.
Every time I read about these people, it instantly reminds me of elementary school where a group of students are tasked with running a business/store. But, in this case, I’m pretty sure the elementary students would do a better job.
Goomess is right about one thing.
Theys some shenanigans going on.
Thuggery in government…and no one would be aware in the public arena without a free press holding their feet to the fire.
That crew makes a mockery of democracy and illustrates all that’s wrong in this country.
Thank you Mr. Reynolds!
If council members were provided this secretive budget document, why didn’t one of them step forward and offer their copy to the public? Are they holding out for their 10%?
Sunglasses At Night?
Gomez must think he’s cool. But isn’t this at least the second time he’s lost his cool with the media?
Isn’t like the umpteenth time he’s been involved with lack of transparency?
Good think Gomez is wearing those sunglasses at night. The Florida Sunshine Law will shine down bright and show us what is going on hidden behind closed doors with all those out of town consultants.
Thanks NE for continuing to shine light on Century’s shenanigans!
State Attorney Ginger Bowden, Michelle Salzman, Escambia County, where are you? It’s time to stop this mess.
Prayers for Century citizens!