Coral Gables Watch

Ruminations on the City and the Unions: Time to Give Back

What do we expect from the employee unions, except to protect their members.

What do we expect from the City Commissioners and the City Manager–Is it to protect Coral Gables residents and taxpayers?

The first is certain and the latter is debatable, but it is time for both unions and the Commissioners to grasp that it is time to give back to the taxpayers.  The taxpayers have been giving during good times and during bad times.  When have the employees and the unions given back? The benefits paid to Coral Gables are incredible–what company, international agency pays all of the employees insurance and pension benefits?

Unions and the city have taken the cream off the milk in the last decade, and now it is time to return something to its citizens.

Police, firefighters and general employees have been treated too well by the city and its residents.  It is time for the unions to frankly accept that taxpayers can no longer tolerate high salaries and outlandish pensions and medical benefits.

So far the city has just been cutting lower paid employees and this has done nothing to alleviate taxes.  Also, (average) personnel costs have been rising in the past two or three years and this will not lead to a stable long-term budget.  A budget with fewer but higher paid employees will not lead to a better budget, unless salaries are really cut and pensions are really reduced.  Let’s hope that we get the leadership we need from the City Managers and the Commissioners.

Thoughts for Coral Gables’ Town Fathers/Mothers

You may not like Paul Krugman’s politics, but so far his economics have been right on interpreting current economic events.

In short, he says we are in for a long haul of slow growth, stagnation and high unemployment.  Bad for Florida, and Bad for Coral Gables; this makes it even more urgent for the City of Coral Gables to get its financial house in order.  Commissioners, please don’t plan on the economy and property values returning to the last decade’s trend ever.

…how unreasonable are current long-term interest rates given current macroeconomic forecasts? I mean, at this point almost everyone expects unemployment to stay high for years to come, and there’s every reason to expect low or even negative inflation for a long time too…

via The Taylor Rule And The “Bond Bubble” (Wonkish) – Paul Krugman Blog – NYTimes.com.

The Ad by the “RESIDENTS FOR GOVERNMENT REFORM”: A Message to Coral Gables

See today’s Miami Herald, Neighborhood Section, Coral Gables (p. 21SE) for the following interesting ad, from which I quote and in which they urge you to get in touch with your Commissioners:

23 CENTS OUT OF EVERY $1.00 IN THE CITY’S BUDGET GOES SOLELY TO PAY PENSION BENEFITS.

CORAL GABLES RESIDENTS owe the Pension Fund approximately $200 Million since the pension fund has been underfunded for years.

THE CURRENT PENSION SYSTEM IS UNSUSTAINABLE.

UNLESS PENSION REFORM IS ENACTED, PROPERTY TAXES WILL CONTINUE TO GO UP

SIGNED:  RESIDENTS FOR GOVERNMENT REFORM