Coral Gables Budget: Public Service Department

August 2, 2010 Leave a comment

Do you know what this Department does?  I was never sure.  It has two big jobs–waste collection and landscape services.  Waste collection includes “residential garbage collection twice weekly and trash collection from the street once a week”.  The landscape services cover “landscape maintenance programs for City properties, including street, sawle areas, selected parks, parkways, and parking lots”.  This also includes forestry management.

Public Service staff have been reduced from 40 to 29 in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 and from 29 to an estimated 24 in 2009-2010 to 2010-2011.  In two years the number of staff have been reduced 40%  for mainly the lowest paid staff.  Salaries and benefits are being reduced by 28% in two years and services contracted from outside of the Department increased by 24% in the two years.

Hence the total budget of the Public Service Department declined a modest 14% in two years, but much more than the overall city operating budget that declined just 6% over a two year period.

Filed under Budget, Coral Gables, Finance, Government

Coral Gables Budget: Public Works

July 30, 2010 Leave a comment

A few notes on the Public Works Department’s budget based on observations on the current budget estimate.

Public Work’s total budget outlays have risen during the most recent budget periods 07/08/09/10 from $17,0 million to 18.9 million in 2010-2011.  Staff numbers have been reduced from 74 to a proposed 63 in this budget.  Salaries and benefits have declined in this period from 7.9 million to 6.9 million but, as noted, overall costs have risen.  The city is contracting out some professional services (such as architectural services after the elimination of the Architectural Division in 2009-2010 budget) needed by Public Works.  It makes payments for waste water services from Miami-Dade and has increased costs for operating equipment for stormwater management and sewer services, among others.

Although staff has been reduced in Public Works, overall costs have not been decreased that much because of the cost of payments to Miami-Dade and equipment costs.  Also, this personnel services reduction is minimal since overall capital expenditures of the city have been significantly reduced in the new budget year.  There seems to be opportunities for further saving in the Public Works Department given that the work program for capital expenditures is declining.

Filed under Budget, Coral Gables, Employees and Unions

Update on Climate Change (Global Warming)

July 29, 2010 Leave a comment

NOAA has just published the an updated compendium of information on climate change (or climate warming).  A series of relevant measures are included that show rather clearly the impact of mankind on the climate and the planet.

The 2009 State of the Climate report released today draws on data for 10 key climate indicators that all point to the same finding: the scientific evidence that our world is warming is unmistakable. More than 300 scientists from 160 research groups in 48 countries contributed to the report, which confirms that the past decade was the warmest on record and that the Earth has been growing warmer over the last 50 years.

There is virtual no doubt that man through his economic and cultural practices has led to process of global warming that will require major mitigation and prevent efforts by the major contributors to this process.

The report emphasizes that human society has developed for thousands of years under one climatic state, and now a new set of climatic conditions are taking shape. These conditions are consistently warmer, and some areas are likely to see more extreme events like severe drought, torrential rain and violent storms.

The consequences of climate change for Coral Gables, Florida and the Tropics will be significant in coming decades.

Filed under Coral Gables, Florida

Coral Gables Taxes and Staffing: Much More to Do

July 29, 2010 Leave a comment

Take a look at the last few pages of the 2010-2011 Budget Estimate where there is some historical information.

Some salient facts there are

  • Property values increased 2.44 times in the period 2000 to 2009.
  • Property taxes increased 2.25 times from 2000 to 2009.
  • In the period 2000 to 2006 (during the most rapid property value increases), property values increased 1.93 times.
  • In the period 2000 to 2006, property taxes have increased 2.19 times.
  • In the period 2000 to 2006 total staff in Coral Gables declined as follows:  871 ( 2006), 875 (2007), 868 (2008), 808 (2009) and  791 (estimated 2010).

In short, on average, property taxes have followed assessed values in Coral Gables since the year 2000.  Rapid increases in property values were used by the city to raise taxes and increase staffing and spending as if this phenomenon was to continue without limit.  And following the stagnation and decline in property values, the city has increased taxes faster that assessed values.

The city has reduced the number of staff, but many of them are at the lowest  grade salary levels. Operating expenses, closely capturing staff salary and benefit expenses, have remained stable at $131.3 million (2007), $136.0 million (2008), $132.0 million (2009), and are expected to decline to $127.7 million (estimated budget 2010).

The number of staff has been reduced by 9.6% but the city’s operating expenses only fell by 3.1%.

This indicates that a much greater effort is needed to increase city efficiencies and reduce salary and pension costs.  When will the Commission get around to do this–this doesn’t seem to be the year.

Filed under Budget, Coral Gables, Finance, Property Values, Taxes and Fees

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