Coral Gables Budget: Automotive Department

August 3, 2010 Leave a comment

The Automotive Department has made up about 5% of the city’s budget in recent years.  The staff numbers have been reduced  from 30 to 23 in two years.  Two mechanics and one (higher cost) supervisor positions are being dropped this year.  Personal services costs are estimated to decline from $2.7 million to $2.3 million.  Operating expenses remain constant and capital expenditures fall from $1.4 million to $1.1 million.  Equipment purchases and leasing together are about a constant $1.4 million over two years.  Motor fuel outlays are about the same $1.7 million estimated compared to the previous year of $1.8 million.

The overall costs automotive services, while down from last year’s budget, are relatively unchanged from the 2007 to the present time.  There is very little flexibility in reducing these costs over the long haul.

Filed under Budget, Coral Gables, Finance

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

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