Coral Gables Impasse Hearing: Openness for a Few

For those who might have taken up the recommendations from the Coral Gables PAC and the Residents for Government Reform to attend the Coral Gables City Commission Impasse Meeting, you will notice that unless you were able to squeeze into the meeting room you would not have heard a word.  About 90 percent of the audience chairs were taken up by t-shirted members of the International Teamsters Local and the balanced seemed to be a few residents with interest in the Impasse Meeting, onlookers and the press.

A TV set outside of the room was blank and Coral Gable TV did not carry the event.  It is sad that the City Commissioners are reluctant to let a bit of light into city events, let along promote resident participation and government openness. At least that is the message one gets from the recent event.

Got Your Property Tax Bill from Miami-Dade and Coral Gables?

The so-called property tax bill (“Notice of Proposed Property Taxes and Proposed or Adopted Non-Ad Valorem Assessments” Miami-Dade County Taxing Authorities) shows that your tax bill may go up by 9.3%.

If you live in Coral Gables, 24% of the increase is from the City of Coral Gables, 37% is from Miami-Dade County, 21% is from the school district, and 14% is from voter-approved debt payments, and the balance in minor items.

These are huge increases in property taxes given that the inflation rate is around 1% or less.  One may wonder if governments can be so insensitive about the consequences of such big increases.