Miami-Dade Commissioners Are Rational

The Miami Herald reports that the Commissioners of Miami-Dade County voted to hold the property taxes flat.

The 8-5 vote throws into doubt whether many programs — ranging from meals for the elderly to domestic violence counseling to grants for small businesses — can be funded under the tax rate adopted by the board.

The commission’s vote pushed the county’s budget gap to $444 million, increasing the threat of layoffs and pay cuts for county employees. Commissioners have two weeks to decide precisely how to carve nearly a half billion dollars out of a $7.5 billion budget.

The commission vote, which concluded at 4:30 a.m., calls for more drastic cuts than sought by county Mayor Carlos Alvarez. In July, Alvarez proposed a small tax increase and $427 million in cuts, including laying off 1,700 county employees and 5 percent salary reductions.

Voting for the flat tax rate: Javier Souto, Joe Martinez, Rebeca Sosa, Carlos Gimenez, Bruno Barreiro, Natacha Seijas, Jose “Pepe” Diaz and Sally Heyman.

Voting against: Chairman Dennis Moss, Barbara Jordan, Audrey Edmonson, Dorrin Rolle and Katy Sorenson.

This is an important lesson for the Commissioners of Coral Gables!