(Repeated) A City Agenda For Coral Gables

This is the list of issues, problems and ideas that might form part of an Agenda for the City of Coral Gables.

  • Prepare and discuss an overall NEW AGENDA for the City of Coral Gables to face the major pending problems, such as unfunded benefits, taxation, staffing and organization;
  • City Manager should routinely report to taxpayers progress on the budget and organizational changes;
  • The city needs a new Code of Ethics;
  • Change the election dates for Coral Gables to coincide with national and state elections.
  • Prepare and publicly discussion a long-range financial plan for the City of Coral Gables
  • Target a freeze and/or reduce actual amount of taxes paid by citizens (not millage rates) during the next three years;
  • Accelerate a plan of reducing pensions and health benefits, especially for firefighters and police;
  • Prepare a plan and publicly discuss how to reduce unfunded pension liabilities during the next five years;
  • Have a community town hall meeting at least twice a year to discuss the budget and other current issues;
  • Develop a realistic and flexible agreement with the Biltmore that protects the taxpayers not just now, but in the coming years;
  • Undertake a review of financial mechanisms and the defective EDEN system to establish a modern, functional accounting of spending and revenues.

Tax Cuts and the Debt

Proposal: Create a COMMUNITY CONVERSATION in the City of Coral Gables

This a modest proposal to establis a monthly or bi-monthly meeting of the city of Coral Gables called the COMMUNITY CONVERSATION (or other relevant name).  This would be a regular meeting attended alternatively by the mayor, one or more commissioners, the city manager and senior staff.

The purpose of the meetings would be to hear presentations by the city manager, mayor or senior staff on important city issues and to get community feedback in an atmosphere of civility and organized conversation.  The agenda could be highly focused or there would be sessions of a general nature.  All meetings would be open to individuals and organizations of the community.

This COMMUNITY CONVERSATION would satisfy an urgent need to create an open and ongoing forum where citizens can make informal comments and proposals to the city.  This might evolve into a regular place of civil exchange of opinions about the future of the city.

More on the US Budget Deficit and Tax Debate

…the government’s income is different from a households. The government has powers that households do not have, the power to change taxes. An increase in taxes will raise the government’s income and help to solve the problem. The right has tried to convince us with Laffer curve nonsense that this margin cannot be adjusted, i.e. the false claim that tax increases will not increase revenues, and they have also made arguments about employment and economic growth. Or they have simply proclaimed, without justification, that tax increases are off the table.

None of those argument withstand closer scrutiny, but they are an easy sell due to the willingness of households to project their own troubles with balancing their budgets onto the government. Deficits mean spending cuts.

But like or or not, tax increases are going to be part of the solution. Spending cuts alone are not going to be sufficient.

via Economist’s View: Confusing the Size of the Deficit with the Size of Government.