Coral Gables Watch

Leaf Blowers–Less Air Please

October 6, 2010 Leave a comment

Mr. Cabrera introduced an ordinance to prohibit gasoline leaf blowers in Coral Gables. But the city and its contractors and event organizers are exempted. Electric-powered leaf blowers are allowed.

Mr. Kerdyk was skeptical that the citizens would think it fair that the city and its contractors should be exempt.

One citizen pointed out that an electrical leaf blower is just as noisy as gasoline blower. I am inclined to believe that that is right. (Have you ever used one of those high speed hand dryers in the mall restroom?) Alternatively, I am also inclined to think that lawn contractors might use small lawnmowers to move around the trash and leaves–almost as noisy.

Certainly, in the face of budget deficits, unfunded pension liabilities, union negotiations and impasse hearings, taxpayers paying higher property taxes and fees, failure of the Biltmore lease, unemployment, declining property values and a new economic development district at the University of Miami, leaf blowers is one of the great pending issues of our time.

Filed under Community, Coral Gables, Government

Florida Pension System Better for Taxpayers

October 6, 2010 Leave a comment

A strong reason to transfer municipal employees to the Florida pension system–it is better managed than local funds.

Florida remains well over the minimum 80 percent funding level recommended by experts, according to the Pew Center on the States. In 2008, the state was one of only four to have a fully funded pension system, the Pew Center said in a February report. Its assets fell 21.5 percent to $99.6 billion in the year ended June 2009, according to the annual report of the State Board of Administration. Over the same period, the Standard & Poor’s 500 fell 30 percent.

via Florida employees’ unfunded pension liabilities grew in 2010 – Business Breaking News – MiamiHerald.com.

Filed under Florida, Pensions

Proposed Constitutional Amendments in November 2 Election

October 5, 2010 Leave a comment

Information for the voter on the proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution.

The Florida Tax Watch provides an analysis of some of the proposed amendments. Their analysis can be found on the internet. The Collins Center for Public Policy provides a relatively objective analysis of the amendment proposals.

In summary (thanks to Florida Tax Watch),

Amendment 1–

This amendment would end taxpayer financing of statewide campaigns, a system created by the Legislature in 1987 and placed in the constitution by voters in 1998. Candidates would have to raise all campaign funds on their own. Florida is one of ten states that provide public financing for gubernatorial campaigns and one of nine states that provide it for other statewide campaigns

Amendment 2–

Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to require the Legislature to provide an additional homestead property tax exemption by law for members of the United States military or military reserves, the United States Coast Guard or its reserves, or the Florida National Guard who receive a homestead exemption and were deployed in the previous year on active duty outside the continental United States, Alaska, or Hawaii in support of military operations designated by the Legislature.

Amendment 4

Establishes that before a local government may adopt a new comprehensive land use plan, or amend a comprehensive land use plan, the proposed plan or amendment shall be subject to vote of the electors of the local government by referendum, following preparation by the local planning agency, consideration by the governing body and notice.

Amendment 5

Every ten years, the legislature redraws the state’s election districts. Amendment 5 would set standards for drawing legislative districts with the goal of disallowing the creation of districts to favor any candidate or party and ensuring that minorities have equal opportunities in the political process.

Amendment 6

This amendment would do for redrawing congressional districts what Amendment 5 does for crafting legislative districts.

Amendment 8

The Florida Constitution currently limits the maximum number of students assigned to each teacher in public school classrooms in the following grade groupings: for prekindergarten through grade 3, 18 students; for grades 4 through 8, 22 students; and for grades 9 through 12, 25 students. Under this amendment, the current limits on the maximum number of students assigned to each teacher in public school classrooms would become limits on the average number of students assigned per class to each teacher, by specified grade grouping, in each public school. This amendment also adopts new limits on the maximum number of students assigned to each teacher in an individual classroom as follows: for prekindergarten through grade 3, 21 students; for grades 4 through 8, 27 students; and for grades 9 through 12, 30 studentshis amendment specifies that class size limits do not apply to virtual classes, requires the Legislature to provide sufficient funds to maintain the average number of students required by this amendment, and schedules these revisions to take effect upon approval by the electors of this state and to operate retroactively to the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.

Filed under Florida

Open Government: The City’s View is Only Part of the Equation

October 5, 2010 Leave a comment

The Mayor of Coral Gables, Mr. Donald Slesnick, in this year’s State of the City address, refers to the openness of the government of the city of Coral Gables.

He says

We continue to have one of the most open governments in Florida, thanks to our E- News, streaming video, webpage portal, emergency AM radio station and Channel 77/CGTV.

This is only about one-third of “open government”; it means at least three things–transparency, participation and collaboration. Coral Gables has made an effort at the first and there is little or no participation and collaboration promoted in city government (except for that required by law in boards and hearings).

I cite a memorandum of President Barack Obama on transparency and open government.

Government should be transparent. Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their Government is doing. Information maintained by the Federal Government is a national asset. My Administration will take appropriate action, consistent with law and policy, to disclose information rapidly in forms that the public can readily find and use. Executive departments and agencies should harness new technologies to put information about their operations and decisions online and readily available to the public. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public feedback to identify information of greatest use to the public.

Government should be participatory. Public engagement enhances the Government’s effectiveness and improves the quality of its decisions. Knowledge is widely dispersed in society, and public officials benefit from having access to that dispersed knowledge. Executive departments and agencies should offer Americans increased opportunities to participate in policymaking and to provide their Government with the benefits of their collective expertise and information. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public input on how we can increase and improve opportunities for public participation in Government.

Government should be collaborative. Collaboration actively engages Americans in the work of their Government. Executive departments and agencies should use innovative tools, methods, and systems to cooperate among themselves, across all levels of Government, and with nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals in the private sector. Executive departments and agencies should solicit public feedback to assess and improve their level of collaboration and to identify new opportunities for cooperation.