More On Why Not To Privatize Municipal Services

…privatization often does not solve cities’ budget woes. Research shows that when municipal services are contracted out, costs can actually increase while service quality suffers. Sometimes these cost increases are experienced as contract cost overruns. Other times a city may fail to take into account “hidden costs” such as the administrative costs of seeking proposals, evaluating bids and monitoring the work. Hidden costs for the community can include reductions in wages and health benefits under private contractors, which drive more people onto public assistance and bring down wage and benefit standards in the field and in the community.

via Municipal Services | In the Public Interest.

For The Candidates: A Proposal For A NEW AGENDA For The City of Coral Gables

This is the list of issues, problems and ideas for the future of the city Coral Gables Watch for inclusion in a needed New Agenda for the City of Coral Gables. Following is a list of examples of possible NEW AGENDA items.

  • Prepare and discuss with the public a NEW AGENDA for the City to face the major pending problems, such as unfunded benefits, taxation, staffing and organization;
  • The City Manager should routinely report to taxpayers the progress on the budget and organizational changes;
  • The city commission should agree on a new Code of Ethics;
  • Change the election dates for the city of 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 amounts of taxes paid by citizens (not just 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 from subsidizing the operators;
  • Undertake a review of financial mechanisms and the defective EDEN system to establish a modern, functional accounting of spending and revenues.

Burgess Resigns, What’s Next

This is a good first step, but all of the former Mayor’s associates should be cleaned out asap.

The next step will be to begin a major reorganization of the county government, which is said to have more than sixty departments and more than 3,000 people who earn more than $100,000.

There is a lot of bureaucratic and actual fat (observe some of the police officers) in the county government.

Miami-Dade County Manager Burgess to Resign | NBC Miami Sound Familiar?

Does this sound familiar to those of us in Coral Gables–city managers retire or resign, and are never fired.

Hours after Mayor Carlos Alvarez was removed from office by a resounding recall vote, Miami-Dade County Manager George Burgess is set to step down.

Burgess is expected to make the announcement during a Wednesday afternoon news conference which Alvarez is also expected to attend.

via Miami-Dade County Manager Burgess to Resign | NBC Miami.