Florence bucks money woes trend

While cities throughout the region have struggled with budget issues, the city of Florence has managed to maintain service levels, complete several capital improvement projects and maintain reserves of more than $20 million.   Florence Mayor Diane Whalen attributes the success to several factors, including sound financial planning, a long-term vision and geography.”This is a council and staff that received good financial advice, listened to it and followed through with it,” Whalen said. Read the full story here.