City of Coral Gables “Values”

November 12, 2008 Leave a comment

It is worth contemplating the “values” that underpin the Commission, management and employees of the City Beautiful (as seen regularly in the E News of the City).   The recent events surrounding the retirement of the City Manager bring into question whether these values are being fully respected in the conduct of city business–there are citizens who say they are not.  They certainly remain as significant guiding principles for the future of the City.

CITY OF
CORAL GABLES

MISSION
Dedicated people providing exceptional services to residents, businesses and visitors while preserving our heritage.

VALUES
Accessibility
Accountability
Competency
Dedication
Innovation
Integrity
Loyalty
Responsiveness

CITY COMMISSION

MAYOR
Don Slesnick

VICE MAYOR
William H. Kerdyk Jr.

COMMISSIONERS
Maria Anderson
Rafael “Ralph” Cabrera Jr.
Wayne “Chip” Withers

INTERIM CITY MANAGER
Maria A. Jimenez

CITY ATTORNEY
Elizabeth M. Hernandez

CITY CLERK
Walter J. Foeman

Filed under Coral Gables

More than enough truth

October 6, 2007 Leave a comment

There’s a whiff of the lynch mob or the lemming migration about any overlarge concentration of like-thinking individuals, no matter how virtuous their cause.
– PJ O’Rourke

Filed under Community, Government

Presentation to Commission on 2007-2008 City Budget (3)

October 6, 2007 Leave a comment

I respectfully recommend that the City Commission undertake the following urgent measures:

  • Approve a millage rate of 5.000.

  • Instruct management to prepare and implement an urgent plan to consolidate departments and units, reduce staff numbers, hold the line on salaries and benefits and reorganize critical departments such as Building and Zoning.

  • The Commission should conduct in depth quarterly public workshops and hearings on the 2007-2008 budget execution based on well defined benchmarks for management.

  • Start now to create a clear vision for next year’s budget so that further reductions can be made a year from now without further delay.

We together–city government, residents and businesses–will be facing “years of scarcity” and it is urgent that the Commission and management take steps to substantially cut current and future city spending. This will send a message to our citizens, businesses and city government staff that the time of taxing and spending is over. Now is the time to change the culture of spending and taxing of our Coral Gables government.

We have heard an appeal to protect the “quality of life” in Coral Gables and this a respectable goal. Hopefully, “quality of life” is not a metaphor for more government spending. A better metaphor for quality of life might be a “program for times of scarcity” benefiting us all.

What we need is a budget that fits these “times of scarcity” and not “times of abundance”.

Filed under Coral Gables, Government

Presentation to Commission on 2007-2008 City Budget (2)

October 6, 2007 Leave a comment

I have a few brief comments on the budget:

1) 75% of the budget goes for salaries and benefits. National and international standards for such a wealthy city suggest that this percentage is way too high. 2) The city spends more on salaries, benefits and retirement than it receives in property tax revenues. 3) The current practice of reducing staff by eliminating low level positions misses the mark—better to eliminate excess middle management and upper level positions. 4) The city has huge unfunded retirement liabilities that will only get worse unless the number of staff and benefits are cut. 5) The city government is making limited capital investments. 6) The city has minimal reserves for a rainy day. 6) There may be too many programs funded that subsidize and benefit just a few people and whose financing should be evaluated. (Golf courses, the Country Club, and the trolley are possible examples.)

Filed under Community, Coral Gables, Government

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