City of Coral Gables: Salerno’s Achievements

April 20, 2014 Leave a comment

The recently resigned city manager of the city of Coral Gables, Pat Salerno, published a list of achievements of his period of administration.

I think that these are his main achievements:

  • Strong and decisive management.
  • Minimization of the involvement of city commissioners in the day-to-day life of the municipal government.
  • Weakening of the culture of fiefdoms in the city offices.
  • Implementing sound financial management, including reducing taxes and growing reserves.
  • Ameliorating exaggerated salaries, benefits, and pensions of police and fire services.
  • Planned, organized and financed improvements in the city’s infrastructure and beautification.

Hopefully, the city commissioners will direct the new city manager to sustain the above culture, and not fall pry to the Slesnick/Brown culture of city commission intromission and micro-management.

Filed under Coral Gables, Finance, Management, Taxes and Fees

City of Coral Gables–Achievements during the Salerno Era

April 18, 2014 Leave a comment

The city manager circulated this rather impressive list of achievements.

Click to access Significant%20Actions%20April%202014.pdf

Filed under Coral Gables, Government, Pensions, Taxes and Fees

Doubts On The Budget For The City of Coral Gables

July 18, 2011 Leave a comment

The follow summarizes my doubts about the budget and where we stand with city taxing and financing.  My largest concern is that this budget assumes that the economy will come roaring back along with tax revenues.  This is completely wrong–we are headed into multiple years of slow growth, unemployment and underemployment and a shortage of State and Federal funding to mitigate local problems.
The city is basically holding taxes steady this year, when they should be reduced.
  • tax rates–still too high and they should be cut to help local taxpayers.  Taxpayers are not getting any real relief with the current proposal for a minuscule tax rate cut.
  • staffing–staffing reductions havestagnated and certain staffing is being increased to manage the so-called renaissance plan.
  • unfunded pension liabilities–these liabilities are still quite high (about $200 million) and management has elected to pay in the minimum legally required contribution.  When will the city pay them off.  Is the city praying for a sustained stock market recovery.
  • The debt surge seems wrong in the face of the other problems of the city.  These monies are needed to pay unfunded health benefits and pensions.
  • When will the unresolved Biltmore lease dispute get resolved.  We are out of pocket substantial funds that are being paid for by taxpayers–that in part explains the trivial tax cut planned for this year.
  • The Miracle Mile is stagnant if not in plain decline relative to other shopping centers.
  • The city has the practice of promoting over spending on unproductive public works, museums, i.e., the renaissance investment plan and debt surge.
  • The real estate market will be stagnant for years to come.  Right?
  • Incomes and employment will stagnate in South Florida for years ahead.

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

It’s Budget Time for Coral Gables

July 13, 2011 Leave a comment

The Miami Herald reviews the budget proposal.

Are here is the new budget:

http://www.citybeautiful.net/CGWeb/documents/finance_docs/CCG_Budget_2011-2012.pdf

Here is the page with the previous budget documents and annual reports of the city:

http://www.coralgables.com/CGWeb/dep_documents.aspx?DeptID=DeptID16

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

Coral Gables’ Property Values Unchanged–No Taxpayer Relief Coming

June 2, 2011 Leave a comment

Is this good news for Coral Gables’ taxpayers?

  • There is no hope of getting any relief from the city commission on property taxes this year;
  • The double dip in real estate values right now (not included in these new estimates) means next year’s property values will hold constant or fall in Coral Gables–again, no relief in property values;
  • Property assessments are mess–there will be many challenges to the assessments.
  • With Renaissance Debt and Spending Program being more important than than careful, conservative financial management to the commissioners and city manager, there will be no tax relief now or in the future.

Dear Taxpayers:  elections are a waste of time.

Filed under Coral Gables, Property Values, Taxes and Fees

Krugman’s Notes Should Be For Coral Gables

May 26, 2011 Leave a comment

Let soothsayers of good times ahead–including city managers who are speeding up investments and refinancing debt–recognize that we are not slipping out of a recession and we may be slipping back into a recession.

Put together

  • declining property values and revenues for the city of Coral Gables,
  • resistance from unions to accept really important sacrifices,
  • new city debt and ambitious capital program (admittedly, some of which may essential maintenance of city infrastructure),
  • a faltering Biltmore lease,
  • a faltering, sickly real estate market,
  • sluggish retail sales, and
  • candidate promises of no new taxes
and you may get continuing financial weakness and more taxes in Coral Gables.
We note now that

…estimates now suggest that we have now gone through a year and a half of “recovery” that has failed to make any progress toward closing the gap between what the economy should be producing and what it’s actually producing.

via Third Depression Watch – NYTimes.com.

Filed under Business and Commerce, Coral Gables, Finance, Taxes and Fees

A Test For Democracy: Will City of Coral Gables Start Spending Again?

April 17, 2011 2 Comments

Seems like there is certain pressure from businesses and a willing disposition of the city manager and some commissioners to start spending big on city projects.  It is said that we can do that because interest rates are low–not a good financial reason.

There is pressure from Chamber of Commerce, Miracle Mile businesses and the IBD to undertake the Miracle Mile and Giralda Streetscape Project.  This is (and I underline) estimated to cost $16 million.  You can bet that the project will cost more after government and businesses get their hands on the “vision” project.  Why is this called the Miracle Mile Streetscape anyway, when it includes Giralda.  Why include Giralda?  Are you sure that this project will “pay for itself?”

One commissioner has already talked about spending money on parks and a senior center and speaks fondly of the free (subsidized) trolley and the Ponce street upgrading.  Good projects, but can we afford more of them now?  I think not.  Why should the taxpayers subsidize the trolley. (By the way, subsidizing the trolley takes business away from the city parking lots, so the real subsidies are much larger than the operating and maintenance costs of the trolley).

Let’s hear from the mayor and commissioners just three goals: we need to fix pensions and hold salaries down for several years, freeze or reduce taxes and fix the Biltmore lease, and freeze and reduce salaries.  Please, no more studies are needed–just decisions and actions by the commissioners.

Failure to do any of these will mean failure for the city’s finances and more taxes for us all in Coral Gables.

Filed under Budget, Business and Commerce, Coral Gables, Finance, Taxes and Fees, Transportation

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