Red Ink delivery for September 10
Public hearings for next year's proposed city budget will be held September 10, that's the day the invisible red ink will appear.
Graphic by Harry Emilio Gottlieb
posted by Tom Falco at 8:00 AM
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16 Comments:
The City of Miami budget should have been addressed and balanced prior to the city authorized the massive subsidies of the Marlin Baseball Stadium. How dare the City of Miami Mayor, City Manager and the three Commissioners that agreed to this subsidy. They knew fully well that our own budget was in debt by $118 million. At the very least this behavior is irresponsible and at the worst it is criminal. Why is that Mayor pushing the rezoning of our city with Miami 21 and the irresponsible and needless overdevelopment of a massive sports park on Virginia Key at this time? Yes, we do need to establish a better zoning code, because for years our very own elected leaders have ignored it for the purpose of creating a quilt of spot zoning to benefit their developer pals. Yes, we do need to improve Virginia Key but not with cement and garages that have 2,500 parking spaces. Virginia Key should be enhances with nature trails, board walks, picnic areas, kayak boating and bike trails. But Miami 21 can well afford to wait until after the November elections. The budget needs to be addressed first and resolved now. Reduce the overpaid salaries by 25-50%, reduce the pensions, cut expenses, eliminate waist, close needles departments and demonstrate good leadership on behalf of the Mayor and Commissioners by taking 25-50% reductions in salaries and declining life time pensions for just 8 years on the job. But now it seems that our Mayor and his fiscal advisors wish to delay the city budget till September 10th. Could this be a tactical ploy to conceal the true depth of the crisis they have created and wish only release it just before the end of this administration? Apparently our Mayor is trying to follow in the footsteps of our last President by leaving an insurmountable mess for the next administration to deal with and try to clean up. Please lets fix the budget first! Harry Emilio Gottlieb
I'm totally against the needles department too!!!
Down with needles!!!
Harry:
You really don't believe criminal behavior was the reason for the deficit do you? Most cities acoss the US are having the same problems. The Mayor surely can't be held responsible for those cities, can he? Please explain why you think the Mayor is trying to follow in the footsteps of President Bush?
They should use white ink - that is hard to read
Harry:
If you check your invoices I believe you will see that you can not buy 55 Gallons of Red Ink but must buy 50 Gallons which will come in a 55 gallon barrel.
Mike Benson
Harry:
One of your ideas is to reduce pensions? How do you do that? Can't be done. In fact Commissioner Sarnoff campaigned to even raise pensions by 13%. So do you have any good ideas how to accomplish that task?
Harry: One of your solutions reference the deficit is reductions in salaries and declining life time pensions for just 8 years on the job.
I understand the reductions in salaries but could you explain to us what 'declining life pensions' are?
Thanks so much.
The mayor and commissioners should not be supported by the taxpayer for the rest of their lives with a pension and health insurance for serving the needs of our community for just 8 years. Harry
So as they get older the pension gets smaller? Do you think they should also contribute and do you think that they should do away with it?
If we would just listen to how Commissioner Sarnoff would handle the budget I think this would all become a moot issue Harry.
Did you watch the Budget Workshop on Channel 77. If not watch it. Commissioner Sarnoff has done his homework and showed without any reasonable doubt that our City Firemen leave the city service multi-millionaires.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Mr. Gottlieb,
As you know the City of Miami is on the verge of declaring bankruptcy. When asked about how do we pay the police officers of the City of Miami more money Marc Sarnoff's reply was, "out of the budget.." he says, "a budget is nothing more than a pizza pie, you cut that pie as you choose", "...the problem with the City of Miami is that it hires way many consultants, it hires way too many people with the soft money costs..it's got to stop being Miami Incorporated".
When Sarnoff was asked how he was going to accomplish specific cuts and increasing the (pizza) pie to increase the pay for the police officers and fire employees Commissioner Sarnoff advocates getting rid of consultants. The Commissioner says, "just hire people (city employees) that don't need consultants to tell them what to do".
Sarnoff still campaigns that the fire and police should be paid more even though The City of Miami firefighters are among the top paid employees in every level by in the State of Florida.
Some people what to change the Firemen's pension system to make it more affordable to the taxpayers by getting the pensions costs in line, but Commissioner Sarnoff says this is not necessary and the system can be made affordable by the smoothing effect.
When the Commissioner talks about his own taxpayer provided pension he says, "..Commissioners after seven years of service get 60% of their pensions, they become pensioned", " you tell me what industry in America who goes to MacDonald's who works in any particular field in the private sector and in seven years is going to have a 60% pension", "...you have the Mayor, you have the Commissioners making pensions after seven years of service. He has indicated that this is not fine with him.
When asked what his solution was for this Firemen and Police pension situation, Sarnoff stated where the problem came from, "...the City of Miami was not doing 'rainy day funds' and was not contributing to on any kind of significant basis to the pension funds and to cure that Sarnoff states we must have what is called 'the smoothing affect' and the City needs to have a 'rainy day fund' and needs to continue to have a 'rainy day fund'. Commissioner Sarnoff goes on to say the City of Miami needs to tailor itself and needs to discipline itself and it needs to pay what is called the smoothing affect and increase the contribution of Fire and Police into their pension 20% of their pay.
Can anyone explain the 'smoothing effect'?
Brent Cutler
Why is everyone attacking Harry?
He is usually the voice of reason and has a right to his opinion. A person who is active in the grove and not a politician, not on the village council nor in the public eye. This should be a venue for discussion.
Anon: 10:40AM
Harry is in the public eye. Harry has thrown his hat into the ring advising that he would run for office when Coconut Grove becomes incorporated.
I agree this should be and I believe is a venue for discussion. The discussion that folks are having with Harry is that they are questioning some of his blanket statements that he refuses to back-up with facts.
Maybe Harry is already a politician?
Miami 21 to come back before the Commission on September 04, 2009 at 10:00AM. City Hall
Harry the 'Red-Ink' will appear first on Sept. 4th., then again on Sept. 10th.
Harry,
Let's be realistic. fire-fighters salaries and pensions take over 50% of the City's budget and nothing can be done because none of the 3 main unions are willing to negotiate anything. Salaries and pension costs which are payed with taxpayer's monies are only going to increase with time, so the only place where this is going is for the City to declare financial emergency in which case all union contracts are null and void. Then new contract negotiations are going to start and the fire and police will hold off, citizens will suffer and even die (and...they won't care) until they get a new contract with the provisions they want. A vicious circle. The city is doomed for failure unless someone with balls come in with a new attitude. This is like dealing with thugs and ridiculous uneducated union leaders and personnel who only push for their own personal interest. Is it possible that union leaders, knowing the situation the City is in, are still pushing for a cost of living increase? Where are the brains? There is no common sense to this, and this is exactly what drove the car industry down the toilet...
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