The Pensacola City Council will be covering matters ranging from budgets to personnel to liquor during its Committee of the Whole meeting this afternoon.
Council members will hear from the city’s Chief Financial Officer Dick Barker today in regards to Pensacola’s second-quarter financial report. The report states that despite some numbers looking good, the city continues to suffer the ills of a bad economy.
“While some revenues appear to exceed budget, it is prudent to remain cautious,†the council members are warned in this week’s agenda packet.
The city council may also finally be getting its much-discussed council executive. The board will discuss filling the position with the person currently fulfilling those duties.
Last August, Elaine Mager was assigned to assist the council until the board hired someone on a permanent basis. Mager began working for the city of Pensacola in 1966 as a clerical aid in the personnel department. In 1981 she switched to working as an administrative assistant to the city manager.
Today, the council will decide if it is going to hire Mager as its staff. The hiring would be in six month contract intervals for a period of two years. Mager’s current salary is $54,392.
Wal-Mart—specifically the chain’s Creighton Road location—is also seeking a zoning exemption. The store’s recent renovations included a liquor store, but Wal-Mart’s location is too close to a residential location to sell hard liquor.
The store’s attorney will be asking the council for an exemption from the zoning rule, which requires such business to be conducted at least 500 feet away from a residential zones. Some other areas, such as downtown, already have such an exemption.
